


A Little More

by methuselahsattemptatlife



Series: A Little More [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Homosexual, Intense, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Volleyball, gay boys, go down with all these ships, i have, lots of ships, multi ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-22 11:54:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 20
Words: 30,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6078378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methuselahsattemptatlife/pseuds/methuselahsattemptatlife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenma Kozume only gets excited about two things; videogames, and Hinata Shuoyou. But aren't Hinata and Kageyama the power couple? How will Tobio feel about this? Kuroo doesn't look happy, either; they're both pretty scary when they're mad... "How cruel, how terrible it must be, to feel love’s sweet kiss and then a stake through the heart, in much the same shape as your love."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. White

**Author's Note:**

> Drabbling. I have writers block for another fic right now, I need some flow! Please enjoy.  
> EDIT: This turned out to be a really huge project. It is not a drabble. I repeat, this is not a drabble.

The weather was sticky and hot inside the gymnasium; the volleyball rebounded off the wall loudly, and the referee called an out with a blow of his whistle. Alongside Nekoma setter Kenma Kozume, captain Kuroo Tetsuro crowed victoriously. Everybody was panting; sweat was pouring down their bodies, and their muscles burned with the exertion of winning another set. The team burst into cheers and began to congratulate Kenma. He dodged a few high-fives aimed at him with ease; even in the heat of a victory, he felt like unnecessary affection was dramatic and tiresome, but Kuroo came over and head-locked him, and unfortunately he couldn’t escape from that. Kenma hung loosely from the crook of Kuro’s arm, staring at the floor shyly.

He’d done an ok job. They all had. These practice games were prepping them really well for the spring preliminaries, and he was ready to just go and get them over with. It made him feel even more shy than usual when he got so much attention for the good plays he made, let alone when they thought his skill was what won them the match - Kuroo went on and on about his talent and the others grinned at him, and Kenma pushed him off gently. Then he stood off to the side, rubbing his neck as all the attention was taken off of him. Everyone had turned to the game going on behind them.

Kenma glanced through the crowd at Karasuno High’s male volleyball team as they struggled against Bokuto and his team, and leaned his head far to the right in order to see Hinata Shuoyou around the net. His orange hair was brilliant against the pale, passionate expression on his face. Kenma watched Hinata tip the ball over the heads of ‎Fukurōdani blockers and his eyes opened wide. That was… Surprising. As the ball hit the floor, Karasuno exploded into cheers, and Bokuto cried out defiantly. Apparently, it had been him who’d taught Shouyou about tipping. Ironic.

Kenma smiled as Hinata and Kageyama yelled excitedly. They were such a good combo attack. A real power couple. Then, from across the room and through the crowd of Nekoma players, Hinata spotted Kenma. He affectionately flashed him the biggest grin Kenma had ever seen. It was then when Kenma noticed something odd. A deep, hot blush blossomed on his face. He hunched up his shoulders and looked away quickly, hiding behind the others. His ears burned hotly, and his head took off spinning – the blush was so warm that Kenma’s hands, sweaty and heated from playing volleyball, pressed to his cheeks and he could still feel it burning his palms.

The odd part wasn’t that it was happening, it was that it was happening to him. Usually new things _didn’t_ happen to him: he met people, he went places, he played video games and volleyball – but usually he could remain pretty neutral through it all. Stuff went ok. Sleep, eat, play volleyball… Nothing scary or strange ever happened to him, or around him. At least not for a while, it hadn’t, and it was puzzling for him to suddenly realize that there was something both scary and strange happening to him, and he had no control over it.

He was blushing, and he had no control over it. Hinata’s smile had made him blush. Kenma stared blatantly through the crowd at him as he flew through the air like a bird and spiked fast balls over and over. For the second time, Kenma was surprised to feel something new, when his heart began beating very hard. He clutched his shirtfront and turned away. It hurt, why did it hurt so much? Setters didn’t run around like the other positions. He had barely moved during the game. He followed his team, who walked off the court grinning nervously, and grabbed his towel. It wrapped around his neck to hide his blushing from Kuroo, who would’ve surely given him shit about it. Why did his heart hurt and his face feel like it was on fire?

Kenma couldn’t sit still. He got up and walked away, and Kuroo noticed him leaving with a confused look on his face. “Kenma?” He jogged after Nekoma’s setter, who hid in his towel. “Are you shaking?” He asked.

Kenma shut his eyes and stopped walking. Hinata. Hinata Shouyou. When they’d met, Kenma had thought he was a nut, but his over-excitement and kind nature seemed to grow on everybody, so maybe he shouldn’t be _that_ surprised. But why was he reacting like this? He thought only girls blushed like this. Girls blushed over cute boys all the time, but…

“Hello?” Kuroo glanced back at his team, who was watching them now. “Are you sick or something, Kenma?”

“Yeah,” Kenma said. Kuro put a hand on his shoulder, but Kenma shrugged it off shyly. “I just need to get some air. I’ll be back.” He ducked outside, leaving Kuroo behind. The captain rubbed his neck awkwardly. He hesitated to go back for a minute, but he finally turned away when another cheer went up for Karasuno.

Kenma walked to the other gym’s bathroom. No one was in here, and the practice games going on were loud enough that he felt comfortable hiding out for a while. He ran a cold tap and washed his face, using the towel to dry off, and looked down at his sweat-drenched body. He needed a shower badly. Looking at himself in the mirror, he breathed a cloud onto it and drew a line so he saw only his eyes.

New things never happened to him. He was always so calm and collected, so nothing ever bothered him, but this feeling… He’d never felt like this about people before. He loved his parents and his siblings, and his teammates were always so good to him that he probably loved them, too. Yet he still couldn’t understand this weird heat in his belly. Hinata had made him feel this way. He’d never thought about Shouyou in weird ways because they were just friends. Fast friends, maybe, and good friends, but…

When the mirror cleared up, Kenma was grinning like an idiot and leaning heavily on the sink. This was so… exciting. It was a big, flustering heat that filled up his chest like steam, and it bothered him in new ways - ways that he had figured he’d feel about girls eventually, but no. Already, the rush was fading. He was eager to feel like that again. In his mind’s eye he conjured his new memory of Hinata’s grinning face and that hot feeling stumbled around in his chest like a newborn calf. It didn’t know what it was, but he knew.

Was he ok with this? Was he really ok with these feelings? Kenma smiled into the towel and looked at his shoes. He rubbed his face until he could frown again; then, making sure everything was straightened out, he walked calmly back to the other gym. He’d think about it a little more before coming to any weird conclusions. For now, he just wanted to see Shouyou play – but just as he arrived at the game again, Karasuno lost, and the look of disappointment on Hinata Shouyou’s face filled Kenma’s belly with uncomfortable icy tendrils.


	2. Alice Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma flashes back to the first night at training week, and Kageyama seems to be a bit off...

The first time Hinata and Kageyama had shown up at training week before the spring preliminaries, something had happened to kick-start Kenma’s strange realization. Day one had barely begun and Nekoma had won yet another set. The weather was already pretty sweltering. Sweat dripped off their chins as they celebrated another victory, grinning and slapping high-fives.

The other team slumped to the bench and sank down onto it, huddled close together to brood. Kenma watched them for a moment. They hadn’t lost a set yet. Should they even be here? Kuroo would say any practice is good practice, but they were a very stable team with good, strong plays. They didn’t even need to be here. A cry went up, and Kenma looked over at Karasuno’s game to see Hinata leap into the air. Kenma’s pulse kicked off, pounding in his veins as Hinata flew, and when Hinata’s hand connected with the ball and the ball connected with the floor, a rush of adrenaline filled Kenma that made him feel like he could fly, too.

“I see that look on your face when you see Shouyou play,” Kuroo grinned wickedly.

Kenma had been deep in thought. Shocked, he turned his eyes away from Hinata and hid the glow in his eyes. “What look?” He asked.

“I’ve seen that same look on your face when you buy a brand new game, and you’re excited to take it home and play it for the very first time.” Leaning his hands on his hips, Kuroo stared over at him. “It’s the same look you get when you see him play.”

“I don’t get that look on my face.”

“Yes, you do.”

Kenma turned and walked off court with the others. “No, I don’t,” he persisted apathetically.

Kuroo followed him, laughing. “Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Yes, you do…”

 

* * *

 

 

Kenma dressed carefully. After a hot shower, he felt much more like himself. He rubbed his hair dry on his way to their room. Tall boys from every team passed him; Kuroo was talking to Bokuto across the hall, and Sugawara was confiding in Daichi about something. Tsuki hovered by the bathroom door, Yamaguchi by his side, and Asahi was walking back to Karasuno’s room. The teams all got along off the court, which really surprised Kenma; all their ferocity behind the net and yet they were all so close. Even Tanaka, the moron of Karasuno, got along well with his blond-Mohawk look-alike.

Hinata and Kenma were a good example of that. Their teams were mortal enemies, bound to fight dumpster showdowns until the end of time, but the moment Kenma met him, he knew that Hinata was more than just the team name on the breast of his t-shirt. He was a soul in flight.

The floor was cold against his bare feet. Pulling open their door, Kenma stepped inside and shut it behind him. “Lev, did you make sure-”

“Kenma!” Looking up in alarm, Kenma got an eyeful of Hinata. He was shining like the sun, with his grin broad and eager, and his freshly-showered-self seated on the end of Kenma’s futon. He looked like a baby bird when he got all excited like this. Smiling with his legs folded up tight, a loose white t-shirt and little black shorts were all he wore.

“Shouyou,” Kenma said in surprise. “Hey.”

Across from Hinata, on his own futon, Lev was looking sheepishly at Kenma. “He wanted to talk to you, but I came back first.”

“The showers are crowded. Sorry to keep you waiting.” Kenma sat behind Hinata. It felt good to sink down onto his own bed after such a long day; he released a sigh.

Hinata turned to him, tilting his head a bit. His brown eyes were warm when Kenma looked up. “You look pretty tired.” Of course, he himself was fine – he was like a live wire, as always.

Kenma raised an eyebrow. “You’re not, I guess. You always seem to have extra energy.”

“I guess so. You guys won a lot of sets today! It’s awesome watching everyone play,” Hinata said. “I’ve never been around so much talent before.”

Lev shook his head. “You’re incredibly talented too, Shouyou.”

“I’ve still got a lot to learn.” Hinata smiled. “I can’t wait to face you guys again.”

Kenma got a jolt of anticipation to face Hinata across the net again. It struck him so suddenly that he had to put down the PSP he’d grabbed from his bag. He looked at Hinata as he laughed with Lev about something and the crinkle of his shorts seemed to ride up a little too far for Kenma to be comfortable. He eyed Hinata’s toned thigh for a few seconds before he caught himself; he looked back to his game, burying himself in its familiar flash of colors and characters.

“You still suck at receiving, Shouyou,” he mumbled. “Lev is better than you, and he’s only been playing for six months.”

“WHAT?!” Hinata cried mournfully.

 

* * *

 

 

“Daichi.”

Turning from Sugawara, who looked uncomfortable, Daichi was surprised to see Kageyama Tobio standing awkwardly alongside him. Daichi hadn’t heard him walk up. “Kageyama. What is it?”

“I have something I need to talk to you about,” Kageyama said softly. His dark eyes looked foggy and lost. The air around his body seemed to reverberate with dark waves. Even the tone of his voice was foreign. Kageyama? Talk to anyone? Something was definitely wrong.

Daichi’s eyes widened. “Oh. Ah, ok. Let me talk to Sugawara for a minute – go to the room. I’ll meet you there.” He watched Kageyama nod stiffly before he left, and then he turned back to Sugawara.

“I don’t know if we have a chance against these guys, Daichi,” Sugawara said in a low voice. It trembled. “We haven’t won a single set! What if we’re not good enough by the time the preliminaries are here?” Daichi had never seen him look like this before; it hurt his pride, only because this was his team and he was the foundation. He refused to crumble, but what of the structure around him?

“Don’t worry so much. We’re a work in progress, Sugawara.” Putting a hand on his shoulder, Daichi frowned. “You know how hard it is for us to adjust for new members, especially since Hinata and Kageyama are so strong on their own. If they weren’t so strong together, it would be a lot tougher for us to get our act together.”

Seeming to blush, Sugawara withdrew into himself a little. “You’re right… But I can’t help but feel a foreboding. What if we lose right away?” He said quietly. “It’ll be our last match as a team.”

Daichi shook him by the shoulder, hard. “Sugawara.” They locked eyes. “We won’t lose.”

Looking at him in surprise, Sugawara hesitated. Then he relaxed visibly. “I’m sorry.” He pushed his bangs out of his face and smiled. “It’s been a long day. I’m sorry I’m sounding so negative.”

“It’s all right.” Daichi bobbed his head, glancing at him. “It’s all right to be anxious, Sugawara.”

“No, I should have more faith in our team… and your leadership. I think I just need some sleep.” Sugawara wavered in place, and Daichi eyed him.

“This isn’t like you, Sugawara,” Daichi said quietly. “Are you feeling all right?”

“No, I… I’m fine. I’m just tired. I didn’t mean to…”

“You don’t need to apologize. Come on, let’s go back to the room.”

They walked back together; guiding him by the shoulder, Daichi kept a close eye on how Sugawara was walking. His footsteps were shuffling and awkward. Maybe he was just tired? Or maybe something worse was up… Sugawara sank down onto his futon when they walked into Karasuno’s room. Daichi glanced around, but Kageyama was nowhere to be found.


	3. Celeste Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma talks to Hinata about dating, and a manhunt begins when Kageyama vanishes.

Kageyama left Daichi with Sugawara and wandered towards Karasuno’s room. He was feeling pretty strange. Maybe some sort of bug was going around…? All that he knew for sure was that he felt awful. He’d just passed by Nekoma’s room, and when he’d seen Hinata talking animatedly to Kenma, his mind had gone into total shut-down. Now he couldn’t think, couldn’t focus… Everything seemed off to him. No matter how closely he looked at the walls, or the ceiling, everything felt like it was something else. The floor moved beneath his feet. His heart echoed in his chest with a cry of confusion.

When he remembered that he’d have to pass Nekoma’s room to get to Karasuno’s, he stopped dead in his tracks. What if he saw Hinata talking to Kenma again? Would he feel even worse? Fearing this was the case, he shied away from the hall. An empty science room had an unlocked door; he turned the cold doorknob in his sweaty palm and when it clicked open, he slid inside.

Lev, going to get something he’d left in the bathroom, spotted the blinds being pulled down over the glass window on the door. He froze on the threshold of the hallway. Who could be wandering in classrooms at this time of night? All of them were exhausted. They should be about to crash into bed. Shrugging, he figured it wasn’t his business and continued back towards the bathroom.

Kageyama, his hair still wet from the shower, sat on a science table in the empty room so he could see out the broad window, and he put his head in his hands. Why did seeing Hinata with Kenma make him feel so sick deep inside?

 

* * *

 

 

When Lev left, it was just Hinata and Kenma. The two of them chatted about their favorite types of gyms, who on their team was the best with receiving, and then a comfortable silence settled over them. Kenma sat bent over his PSP so that only the sound of clicking buttons could be heard. The others on the Nekoma team were all sitting in the corner discussing women models that were in the advertisements around Tokyo. Kuroo was lounging on one of their futons and laughing at the others’ opinions. None of them bothered the pair.

“Kenma, do any of you guys have girlfriends?” Hinata piped suddenly.

Without looking up, Kenma shrugged. “A couple do. Not many. It’s hard to have enough time for a relationship with the kind of practices we have to keep up with.”

“What if you dated someone who was playing volleyball, too?”

Kenma paused his game but didn’t look up. “Like from the girls’ volleyball team?”

The hesitation Hinata had before he said yes made Kenma’s heart drop through the floor; what was he thinking? Dating one of his teammates? Flustered, Kenma un-paused his game to seem normal again, but died immediately. He made a noise of disapproval. “That would probably be worse than someone who doesn’t play volleyball at all – the girls practice right before us or on different days, so any time we’d have off, they’d be busy, and vice versa.”

“How do they do it, then?”

Kenma paused. “Yaku’s girlfriend is home schooled, so any time he has off, she has off, too. She has enough money in the family that she doesn’t need to work, so that helps.”

“And the others?” Hinata questioned.

“It’s just one other. His girlfriend just watches him practice sometimes and works around his schedule. Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did you ask about them dating?”

Rocking forward, Hinata made a pouting face at his lap. “Tsuki is always getting hit on by girls. It’s only a matter of time before one of my teammates gets a girlfriend, so I guess I was wondering how easy it would be for them to date.”

For them? Not him? “Do you think you’re not going to be able to date girls?” Kenma blurted.

“I’m short! Girls like tall guys, right?! And I don’t have any free time at all,” Hinata said quickly. “I wouldn’t be able to say yes or ask them out even if one did hit on me…”

“Oh.” Kenma died again in his game. He turned it off and sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I’ve been hit on a few times,” he offered. “And I’m short.”

Hinata locked eyes with him so seriously that chills went down Kenma’s spine. “Why didn’t you say yes?!” He cried. Now the other team members had turned to stare; Hinata had yelled pretty loudly. Kenma’s look of confusion twisted with embarrassment. Noticing this, Hinata rubbed his neck, ashamed of himself. He knew Kenma was shy. “I’m sorry,” he said softly.

Kenma slowly put his game away, waiting until the others were yawning or distracted before he looked at Hinata again. “I didn’t like them back,” he confessed. “I didn’t want to tell them that, though. So I just said I was too busy.”

“Oh.” Fidgeting uncomfortably, Hinata bit his lip and looked down at his hands. “Is there anyone you did want to date, if you could?”

Kenma yawned wearily. “No,” he answered, after a period of deep thought. “Not really. I just haven’t felt that way about anybody yet.” It wasn’t until he said the word ‘yet’ that Hinata’s negative reaction melted away ever so slightly; Kenma didn’t notice, but Kuroo – covertly watching and listening – had noticed. Nekoma’s captain hid his scowl in a manga book.

Daichi appeared at the door then, calling to Hinata, who bounced up obediently and left after a giving Kenma and the others a warm goodnight.

 

> * * *
> 
>  

 

“Kageyama is missing.” Hinata’s good mood vanished in a puff of smoke; he felt icy hands clutch at his heart as Daichi explained to team Karasuno that he hadn’t seen him for half an hour, and that he was nowhere to be found. “He was acting peculiar, as if he were sick. I’m worried he might be in trouble.” The serious, deep tone of his voice gave them all a creeping feeling of dread.

They all split up; the third years went to the gyms, the second years went to look outside, and the first years combed the building again. Hinata was itching to go into town to look for Kageyama; it was pretty far away, but the building had already been searched! Why were they searching it again? Grudging but obedient, Tsuki, Yamaguchi, and Hinata all went different directions. Hinata took the math hallway. He tried every door, and they were all locked, so he stomped angrily to the hall with their rooms. He looked in every room, asked every person, but no one had seen him.

Hinata finally popped his head into Nekoma’s room. “Hey,” he called, and although some were already in their futons, they all looked up curiously. “Kageyama is missing. Did any of you see him leave?”

“I didn’t see him leave, but someone pulled down the curtain over the window of the science room door.” Lev’s voice came out muffled from where he was cocooned in his futon with his feet sticking out.

After the rest of the consensus was negative, Hinata thanked them and ducked out again. The science room? He looked across the hall, about six feet from Nekoma’s door, and saw the door with the window that had the blinds drawn. He walked to it carefully. With his hands around the knob, he was surprised when it gave way in his hands, and creaked open. Hinata put one foot in the door.

At first, it looked like no one was inside. Everything was pitch black except for the moonlight coming through the windows that bounced off the table tops, but Hinata heard a groan and jumped a foot in the air. He fumbled to flick on the lights. Through the table legs in the far corner of the room, he saw a body on the floor. “Kageyama?!” He cried, leaping over tables and chairs to get to it. When he slid across the last table, he lost his footing with a yelp and tumbled in a mass of arms and legs on top of the body.

“WORTHLESS BASTARD-” Kageyama roared. Hinata had kicked him square in the face; he was cradling his head in his hands and groaning, but totally intact, unlike Hinata, who was sure he’d pulled something.

“YOU’RE OK!” Hinata leapt up and grabbed Kageyama by the shoulders excitedly with a burst of jubilation which he immediately regretted.

“GET OFF, JERK!” Kageyama shoved him away clumsily with one arm, still holding his face. Hinata’s cry gathered Nekoma from their room, and Kenma pushed through them to run over to Hinata.

“What happened?” Kenma demanded, helping Shouyou to his feet.

“N-Nothing, I’m fine, he’s fine – I found him,” Hinata sputtered.

“Oh. Ok.” Kenma backed off, relieved. Kageyama let Hinata help him to his feet; he looked pretty sick, and twice as grouchy as usual.

“Why the hell were you on the floor, you moron?!” Hinata exclaimed.

“My head was hot, so I was lying on the table, but I almost fell off… So I got down on the floor and put my head on that instead,” Kageyama grumbled.

Nekoma left to get the Karasuno team back; Kenma patted Hinata on the back and went back to bed. The room was light now, and full of glass cabinets and black-top tables that shone. Kageyama sat on one of the cool tables, refusing to look at Hinata. His face still throbbed in pain.

“I’m really sorry!” Hinata slapped his hands together and bowed to the setter.

“Moron.”

“Why does your head feel hot? Are you sick?”

“I’m fine,” Kageyama hissed, but he was blushing, and Hinata stared at him in confusion until the rest of the team arrived. They all let Daichi scold Kageyama for hiding. He was the only one who could besides Sugawara, but Daichi was also the angriest; he’d been very worried about him. He gave Kageyama some IBProphen and a bottle of water and dragged them all off to bed.

Hinata tried several times to question the setter, but was refused each and every time, and when he finally settled down to sleep he was struck to see that Kageyama had turned his back to Hinata.


	4. Electric Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mixture of realization and confusion seems to be trending among the separate teams.

Needless to say, after Kenma’s realization, the last game of training week had ended between Karasuno and Fukurōdani. He sat contently alongside Hinata and Lev at the barbeque without any problems; despite his newfound attraction to Shouyou, Kenma was feeling very in control of his emotions. Maybe it was because he was used to all of them being so close now. Whatever the reason, he smiled as he listened to Hinata prattle on about seeing them again and how much fun it’d been, and when Lev interrupted with something casually playful, he sent him a scowl. Just hearing Hinata’s voice gave Kenma the power to feel ambitious – he didn’t feel ambitious yet, but the possibility was growing.

            On the bus ride back, Kenma put on his headphones and watched the rolling scenery go by while the rest of Nekoma chatted and interacted rowdily. He had a lot to think about. Since that feeling had hit him today, he’d had a lot of thoughts about Shouyou, mostly as he tried to understand why he felt so strongly all of a sudden. He was still pretty fuzzy about it. After all, they were both males, and they were competing on opposite teams. They were nothing alike. Hinata was outgoing and naïve, and Kenma was shy and keen. The only thing they had in common might be volleyball.

So why? Kenma mulled over a few possibilities. Shouyou was a cute kid, but his talent was incredible. No small amount of hard work and passion could mold what he was becoming. That kind of unattainable potential, that dedication, was awe-inspiring. His cheerful nature was attractive, for sure, as was his childish kindness; it was clear he’d either given up on being jaded, or had never been jaded too much to ruin his good nature, and either way it was refreshing to experience.

There were a few good reasons for Shouyou to appeal to him. He was everything Kenma wasn’t. Pushing his head against the window, Kenma sighed. Such a puzzle. He’d never even touched Shouyou in a friendly manner besides shaking his hand; why did he desire for his closeness? The seat beside him gaped, yawning emptily despite his duffel nestled against his thigh. He could conjure in his mind the body of the spiker lulled into sleep despite the noise of the bus, his arms draped all over and his head lolled back. If only he were here. If only it were him asleep beside Kenma and not his afterimage, just so Kenma could feel his head fall onto his shoulder, where Hinata could sleep the whole way home. Hinata might even snore softly, unheard through Kenma’s headphones, but it was his warmth along that Kenma craved. His being. Why did he feel so alone without him?

A hearth of fire was burning in Kenma’s belly for Shouyou’s heart, body, and soul, and no matter how ridiculous or impossible it was for them to be together in reality, being without him like this brought Kenma the gift of bone-deep, aching pain. Congratulations, it read. You’re in love.

 

* * *

 

 

Kuroo swung back through the bus, talking to Yuka about Karasuno as he settled into the seat behind him. He tried to hear what Yuka said in reply. Nothing came out of Yuka’s mouth, though, and Kuroo squinted at him oddly. Mouthing ‘are you ok,’ Yuka furrowed his eyebrows at their captain.

“Fine, fine,” Kuroo mumbled. “Just tired.”

He sank down in his seat and Yuka went back to arguing with Lev. That was weird. Why couldn’t he focus? The real reason he’d come to sit back here came back to him suddenly, and he looked across the aisle to see Kenma gazing out the window with the most love-struck expression on his face. Kuroo felt an arrow pierce his heart.

Kuroo knew that look. He’d caught it on his own face in the bathroom mirror after practice, when Kenma bailed early; he’d seen it in his coffee in the morning when Kenma walked back to his own seat in class; hell, he’d even seen it years ago, reflected in Kenma’s window right before the curtains were yanked closed for the night. It was the true look of a heart in mourning for something that could never be. Why was it, that while Kuroo was all too familiar with the feelings he had for a teammate, that Kenma now had experienced it for someone he barely knew? Hinata. That little crow. He liked Hinata, and Kageyama, and the Karasuno team. They were all fun to mess with, crazy strong, and all over the place. Hinata especially was an anomaly he was pretty fond of – he wanted to see him blossom into a warrior and face him in battle, in a real match. Yet, knowing the cause of that forlorn look on Kenma’s face made Kuroo smolder angrily, something uncomfortable and fiery deep in his belly. He curled up in his seat like a vexed dragon, filling the seat with his sinewy legs and long, solid body. He liked Hinata.

But if he couldn’t have Kenma, no one could.

 

* * *

 

 

“Daichi,” Sugawara whispered, tapping his captain on the shoulder. Drowsy, not paying attention, Daichi rubbed his eyes and looked around. They’d been on the road for a few hours now.

“Yeah?” He whispered back. Everyone else was asleep, what did he want? His eyes traveled passed Sugawara’s timid finger to where he was pointing, and Daichi’s eyes widened. In the corner, where the last of the moonlight was coming through the windows, Kageyama and Hinata were asleep, sitting up together. Every time the bus bounced, they leaned on one another, evening out the turbulence between their two bodies.

Hinata was entirely unconscious. He was like a sack of bricks, and yet something was keeping them both up. It was Kageyama. Half asleep, his face pinched as if he were in pain, he woke briefly during the bumps in the road to steady himself and Hinata before dropping back to sleep, his face melting into something close to serenity.

Daichi turned his eyes to Sugawara, and they shared a look of mute shock. Kageyama shoved Hinata away and tossed him around and beat him into a pulp to keep him from getting too close to him – it was almost like a ritual now, formed in the few months they’d played together on a team – and despite all of that, there he was. Unaware he was being watched, Kageyama had his cheek in Hinata’s orange hair, and their arms were tangled casually at the wrist, like lovers on the ride home.

The third year boys settled back into their seats with their eyes glued out the window. What was there to say? What could you say? There were no words to describe this kind of epiphany, especially when it combined matters of the heart that were both possible, as well as impossible.

 

* * *

 

 

Kenma had fallen asleep at some point. When he woke up, the bus had jolted to a stop, and everyone was yawning and fumbling with their bags. He gathered his own things and instinctively checked his phone; his mother sometimes texted him in spurts of fourteen messages, whenever she had panic attacks about his wellbeing. But there was only one message, and it wasn’t from her. It was from Hinata.

Time: 12:06:15 AM

To: Kenma Kozume

From: Hinata Shouyou

Time Received: 9:53:07 PM

Message:

Miss you already! What a great week!

Better bring you’re a-game next time, too!

Sent from: KTalk

Reply?


	5. Turquoise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama comes to a startling conclusion that surprises even him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING  
> I mean you don't need one but its about to get MA up in here

The wind rattled against Kageyama’s window that night. He tossed and turned, but couldn’t get to sleep. He’d been so wired on the bus ride back that he didn’t think he’d be able to sleep at all. And to make things worse, Hinata had sat beside him; it had been days since that night he’d gotten sick and hidden himself away, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t shake two things: his deep-seated feeling of nausea, and Hinata’s incessant worrying.

He cursed into his pillow and gripped it tightly, squashing his eyes closed. They’d almost won that game against Bokuto! What had he done wrong?! Well, he’d missed a shot for Hinata… He covered his face with his hands and turned to lay on his back. Sleep was impossible. Dragging his hands down his face, he peered out from behind his fingertips at the ceiling. Why did he feel this way? What was wrong with him? He probably had a disease or something – probably from a week in that sweat box full of weird dudes. Gross.

The smell of Hinata’s hair refused to leave his nose. Shockingly, he had gotten sleep on the ride back, but so had Hinata. Kageyama must’ve been out like a light, because he didn’t remember the trip back at all, just… a weird dream… He curled his arms over his head. He remembered the smell of Hinata, and the warmth of his body beside him on the bus, but… no, he couldn’t have dreamed this smell. That meant that he’d slept on Hinata for the whole goddamn ride back. This realization equal parts pissed him off and flustered him. That stupid little moron. Like he needed his help. Even if he was sick, he’d rather die than let Hinata anywhere near him with a Popsicle stick, let alone a needle full of medicine - even if it could save his life.

Feeling flustered just made him angrier. Sure, he needed Hinata for that fast attack, but he was a great setter even without him. Too bad no one else could do what Hinata could. His chest ached. No, he’d come onto the team with high expectations, expecting to be rejected again, only to find that little orange-haired bastard. They were an equal match in ambition, talent, and gusto, but… it was Hinata meeting all Kageyama’s crazy expectations. Kageyama was just trying to adjust to him now. That really pissed him off, too.

Covering his face with his arms, he heaved a big sigh through his nose. When he inhaled again, he got a strong whiff of Hinata; freshly showered, his big brown eyes glowing as he reached for the volleyball. Kageyama could see him just falling asleep. His eyes would struggle to stay open as he stared at his shoes. His hands would slacken. Then, his head would roll, and it was over. Wherever it landed would either knock him out or wake him back up; it just so happened that Kageyama’s shoulder had been there. Kageyama hunched himself up under the covers. He could feel Shouyou’s warmth, smell his skin… it would be so easy to let him lay down in his lap or something. Anything was better than sleeping upright. He began to imagine Hinata’s head in his lap and bit his tongue, hard. He turned onto his stomach to hide his face in the mattress while pulling the pillow over his head.

To his surprise, something hard against his thigh was trying to hide in the mattress, too. He rolled onto his side and looked down in the dark. His heart was beating rapidly; his body felt hot and restless, which wasn’t entirely an alien feeling. Wait… what the fuck? He reached down tentatively in the dark and felt a familiar tent in his shorts. Shock froze him solid. Did he just get a hard-on from thinking about Hinata?!

Kageyama eased his shorts down his hips just enough to let it loose. Boxers at night were a pain, especially when he got like this, so he usually went without, but… Jesus… His hand was shaking as he wrapped it around his cock. It was thick when it got like this, and a decent length, too, but he had never had it come up like this when he thought about somebody he knew. He usually jacked off late at night, so no one heard, to some girls he’d seen in magazines, or ads, or anything he could conjure up from memory. Never actual people. Well, he supposed they were actual people, but still.

His boner was aching with need; he could still feel that image of Hinata’s head in his lap swimming behind his eyelids. No way! Blushing madly, he fell onto his back, covering his eyes with his free hand. Was he really about to do this? God, he was so horny now, what was up with that?! All he could think about was Hinata in his lap, rolling over in his sleep, his mouth lolling open… fuck… Kageyama began to stroke it. He couldn’t help himself now. The thought of it alone made him so fucking hard…

It began to lubricate itself - there was always pre-come in the head right away, like it knew he was going to need it immediately - then his hand was slick with it, and his cock moved in his hand so smoothly. God, it felt so good… He went further with the image in his mind, playing a scene right out of a porno between him and the ginger spiker. Hinata’s lips parted, and somehow slid Kageyama’s dick between them. An eager tongue met it. Kageyama groaned softly as Hinata began to suck, and gripped himself tighter. Harder… he needed to suck harder… Kageyama could see Hinata’s expression melting; he could feel the hunger in each hard, tight stroke. A warm wet tongue rolled over him, running along the part of his body no one had ever touched before.

“Shouyou,” Kageyama breathed into the darkness. Usually it took forever for him to finish. He had to go through the motions, imagine the girl doing something he liked, then try and spark an orgasm like knocking two damp flint stones against each other. Eventually he came, but it was never hard, and it was never quick.

This time it was both hard and fast. He pictured himself coming into Hinata’s mouth and that turned him on so much that he shot come everywhere. He didn’t care. He pumped it out, his hand working firm and fast as an earth-shattering orgasm racked his entire body. Colors exploded behind his eyes. His hips bucked, his mouth fell open, and he moaned lustily at the top of his lungs.

The colors faded. His dark room came back into focus; he let his soaking wet hand loll onto the sheets. A throb of pleasure rocked his cock with every beat of his heart. Then he got a sick feeling. He’d just jacked off to the thought of another dude giving him a blow job. Was he…? Oh, God.

Kageyama got up too quickly. All the blood rushing to his head made him stagger, but he made it to the bathroom down the hall without anyone seeing. He spent the next half hour cleaning up his mess. He stood bare-ass naked in the laundry room and threw his things into the washing machine – all of his sheets and blankets – and put the water on hot before turning it on.

The house was silent. In the cold, dead hours of the night, Kageyama wobbled back to his room completely nude. He put on clean shorts and a clean shirt. He mechanically went through the motions of re-making his bed with clean sheets and lay back on his bare bed slowly, making sure not to jostle his sensitive junk, and stared at the ceiling. A rock had settled into his gut. It weighed so much that it was hurting him, but he had no idea what to do. He felt so lost and alone and confused in the dark of the night. Deep inside of him, a lock had broken. A door had swung open wide and inside was a truth he had hoped to never acknowledge; a truth that he’d ignored for so long that he’d actually forgotten it was there.

Kageyama Tobio was gay.

 

* * *

 

 

Needless to say, Kageyama did not get any sleep that night. He walked around that entire week in a daze. He left right after practice every day, which was very unlike him, and when he got home he sat on his bed and stared at his hands. All he could do was feel ashamed. Boys were not supposed to like boys. His entire life, all his mother did was rant and rave about how pretty his wife had to be, because she wanted cute grandbabies, and she went on and on about how getting married would be the best thing that ever happened him.

Getting married. To a girl.

Tears welled up in his eyes. Tobio bent his head over his lap and wept silently, terrified that his parents might hear him. He’d been so stupid. How could he have just locked that away for so long? _Now_ he could remember why he’d been so uncomfortable seeing Oikawa again. He remembered having a small, innocent crush on his senpai that almost ended in him getting bitch smacked in the face, all because the great king was afraid of his throne being usurped.

How had he sealed that away from himself? Was that even possible? Apparently for morons, anything was possible, and he was definitely a fucking moron for forgetting that he was even gay. What was he going to do? He had to face it sometime. It had already been an entire week of brooding and mourning. He had to move on, accept it, something! This hurt so much… he just wanted it to stop hurting…

He gasped, struggling to catch his breath through the tears. Why now? Why Hinata? He curled up in bed, backpack and all, and shut his eyes. He pulled the covers around his chin. Eventually, the tears stopped. He was too tired to think about it anymore. He’d been fretting all week and wearing circles in his floor from pacing, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

So he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya guys! I'd really like some feedback on the characters, so if you can please leave some comments for me! Be kind! <3


	6. Robin's Egg Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma actually kind of opens up to his mother, and it goes well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I usually churn out like three chapters a day, but it's midterm week. I'll pick up again next week with rapid chapter updates. I'm gonna go far with this!

Kenma sat on that text from Hinata until he got home. His mother picked him up from the school, even though it was almost one in the morning, and all the way back he listened to her ramble about how proud and worried she was about him. Every now and then a question came up, but she was satisfied with his curt answers. He had Shouyou on the brain, after all.

He clutched his phone tightly in his lap as if it would leap away from him at the first chance. It was warm in his hands. He couldn’t think of anything to say. How did he convey what he felt without sounding desperate, or creepy? Did Shouyou really mean that he missed him? Did he want to… hang out? He mulled all this over with a dark sense of confusion. He’d never done this before. What was the right way to go about telling someone that you thought you were in love with them?

The scenery flew by; his eyes followed the undulating hills and towering trees as they drove deep into the suburban side of the city he lived in. The Kozume family lived in a Japanese style house snuggled in a steep hill that overlooked the expanse of land where the city met the country. It was beautiful. Of course, Kenma grew up there, so he had the view memorized. He rarely paid it any mind now.

At the bottom of the hill, just as they were coming around the last bend in the road where the trees stopped and the broad view began, Kenma’s mother stopped the car. When she put it into park Kenma snapped out of his trance and looked at her.

“What is it, mom?”

Calm, knowing, his mother smiled at him. “You met someone.”

Kenma’s eyebrows shot up and his lips parted in shock. Blushing, he looked away from her, staring out the windshield. “… How did you…?” He mumbled.

“You haven’t looked at your phone once!” Leaning back, his mother laughed. “Did they send you something that you have to think really hard about before you reply?” Kenma bobbed his head subtly. He snuck a glance at his mom, who was just staring at him warmly. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asked. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready - but remember, I raised both of your older sisters for ten years before you were born. They had the same problems at your age.”

“I…” Kenma lowered his eyes to the phone in his lap. How was he going to tell his mom that his first real crush was on another boy? His face felt hot. He was so embarrassed. “I’m not ready.” His mother visibly deflated, but she wasn’t surprised. She knew her son was shy. “But,” Kenma blurted “I do sort of need help.”

His mother lit up like a Christmas tree. “Of course! Just say the word, honey. What do you need help with? Is it what you’re going to say back?”

“How did you…? Yes…”

“What did they say?” Keeping his phone screen turned away, Kenma read her Shouyou’s text under his breath. “Wow, they miss you?” Kenma blushed even more, and his mother laughed kindly. “Honey! Don’t worry so much! It’s ok to not know what to say, or what to do, especially when you want someone to like you. But I’d say whoever this is already likes you.”

Looking at her with a blank face, Kenma struggled to keep his awe in check. “Do you think so…?”

“No one tells you that they miss you unless they mean it, Kenma. You talk to them a lot?”

“We text.”

“When you see them, does they seem happy around you?”

“Generally, they’re always happy…”

“You can tell. I know you can tell.”

Kenma stared at his phone. Shouyou grinning at him in the crowd, always coming up to him, even despite his constant cruelly honest comments and cold shoulder… “He is… happy around me, I mean.”

Shit! He’d said he! Kenma’s pulse skyrocketed. What would she say? What did he just do?!

“Then he likes you,” his mom said simply. “He already likes you, Kenma. Dropping a hint like missing you is just his way of letting you know that he’s feeling a bit more, too. Just tell him that you miss him back!” Kenma stared at her openly. She was so cool with him being attracted to a guy that it scared him. She spotted the look on his face and looked embarrassed. “I… always thought you and Kuroo were… involved.”

“Mom!” Kenma exclaimed, appalled that his mother had thought he was gay.

“He’s been your only friend for years! And you’ve never liked girls. Give me a break.”

“Well, yeah… Ok, well, I should just… tell him that I miss him? Is that all?”

“Yeah. Start small. Nothing too major yet. Just keep it subtle until you’re on the same page, you know? See if you can get him to talk about it. When he gives himself away, that’s when you say more.”

“Oh.” Kenma sat back in relief. “Ok.” This was going to be a long process. He could barely talk to Kuroo, let alone to someone he liked. He was bonded with Hinata but he wouldn’t be comfortable with any sort of physical anything until they’d spent more time together.

“Honey?”

“Hm?”

“Are you all right?”

She still hadn’t started the car again to take them up the hill to the house. He glanced at her, then down at his phone, and sighed. She already knew he liked guys. “I… I’m not… into guys, really… But I want to be close to him. Close like I am with Kuroo, only different. Do you… know what demisexual is?”

His mother looked confused. “Not… exactly. Wait, have you liked girls before?”

“That’s what I mean,” Kenma explained uncomfortably. “Demisexual means that I can’t ‘like’ someone like that until I’m close with them. I’ve never been friends with a girl before. I don’t know if it would be the same.”

“Ooooh, I see. You know how it feels with Kuroo so you already know it’ll work with this new guy.”

“Not… exactly… Me and Kuroo aren’t…”

“Oh. Wait, you mean you have feelings for this boy and you’re not that close yet?”

“Yes. It’s… complicated.”

His mother reached over and rubbed his arm maternally. “It’s ok, honey, you have a right to be complicated. Life is complicated.” They exchanged a small smile. “Come on, you need to go to bed. Spring Preliminaries are coming up, aren’t they?” She started the car up again. The sound was deafening after that long period of silence, and as Kenma looked out the window at the twinkling lights of the city, he felt a swell of confidence.

“Yeah,” he said. “They’re getting closer.”

After he’d showered and climbed into bed, Kenma hid beneath the covers and pulled out his phone at last. He shifted to lay on his stomach and made a cave out of the blankets over his head. The glow of the phone was the only light in the dark bedroom as he typed out a reply tentatively. Then he pressed send and slid his phone under his pillow before he shut his eyes. Sleep washed over him like a wave.

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata had just gotten home when Kenma’s text came through. He was exhausted, and smelled awful, but when he sat down to take off his shoes at the door his phone buzzed. He pulled it out curiously. Did Kenma finally reply?

Time Delivered: 2:13:10 AM

To: Hinata Shouyou

From: Kenma Kozume

Time Sent: 2:12:31 PM

Message:

I miss you, too. This week was good practice.

We always bring our A-game. Don’t forget yours.

Sent from: JCall

Reply?


	7. Verdigris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kageyama is back to normal, or is he? And Kuroo is pushing his luck with Kenma, too.

“Kageyama!”

Kageyama felt the volleyball smack him in the side of the head as soon as he spotted Daichi coming at him from across the gym. He groaned and rubbed his temple. Sugawara yelped because he’d been the one tossing to him, and Hinata went running after the ball, a flail of arms and legs. Practice had just ended, and it was just the four of them still tossing and spiking for one another. It was pretty late, but as usual, they liked to get in some personal practice.

“Sorry! Are you ok, Kageyama?” Sugawara called.

“I’m fine,” Kageyama snapped. He turned to Daichi. “What is it?”

“You never got to talk to me about what made you sick during training week,” Daichi said in a low voice. “I’ve been trying to talk to you this week, but you seemed to want to be alone. You look better today, but do you still need to talk?”

A flash of surprise crossed Kageyama’s face. They had noticed his bad mood? Well, he didn’t exactly hide it. He barely remembered asking Daichi if he could speak with him; how was he going to go to his Captain about Hinata? He did respect Daichi the most, but…

Hinata came running back with the ball over his head. “HEY, HEY, HEY! WHERE IS MY SETTER?!” He howled, mimicking Bokuto. All of them glanced over at him in amusement. He had spiked his hair like Bokuto and everything. Pausing, Daichi studied Kageyama for signs of the strange affection he and Sugawara had seen Kageyama show for Hinata on the bus - but there was nothing there but his usual placid irritation.

“… Yes,” Kageyama answered quietly, turning back to Daichi. “I do need to talk to you. But I’m not sure what about.”

Daichi looked at him. “What do you mean?” Sighing, Kageyama couldn’t keep his brows from pinching together; roiling depression began to peek through his normal mannerisms. Daichi’s eyes widened. “All right.” He put his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder, making him look up from the floor. “Let’s walk and talk, then.”

 

* * *

 

 

The gym floor was filthy today. Kenma pushed a broom eagerly along the polished wood with his mind buzzing anxiously. He’d been texting Shouyou all day and was eager to get back to his phone. During practice, they weren’t allowed any distractions, and he was itching to see what Hinata had sent him. He finished up and put the broom away with careful hands; the gym was empty except for him now, because he worked so slowly, but Kuroo had said he’d stick around to shut off the lights. Where was he?

Kenma ran over to his duffel bag. He snatched up his phone, scrolling through the messages between Hinata and him, and a small rush of adrenaline made his heart beat faster.

 

Time: 9:10:01 PM

To: Kenma Kozume

From: Hinata Shouyou

Time Sent: 7:13:02 PM

Message:

We never go anywhere! Mom’s always working.

It’s a pain to bring my sister anyway, she’s so rowdy!

Sent from: Ktalk

Reply?

 

Kenma cleaned up his things as he thought about what to say back. His parents had offered to take him a festival this weekend near Hinata’s hometown. It was an art festival for prominent members of Japan. One of the most famous artists in Japan was hosting it, and truth be told, Kenma couldn’t care less about art. It was all too boring for him, but he did want to see Hinata, and it was close enough for Kenma to walk to the bus station.

He was too hot to put on his jacket. As he left the gym, the cold night air made him shiver. Was he really planning his route to Hinata already? He didn’t even know if Hinata wanted to hang out with him, or if he was even going to be home. Why was he so excited?

“Kenma, wait!”

Jumping, Kenma clutched his bag and whirled around. Kuroo was standing breathless in the doorway. “What do you want?” Kenma asked.

Walking up to him, Kuroo sighed, rubbing his neck. He was still getting his breath back. “I want to talk to you. Come on, I’ve still got to shut off the lights.”

Kuroo turned on his heel but he waited for Kenma to start after him before turning to lead the way. He was acting weird. Kenma stared at his back; Kuroo never did anything uncool. He was an idiot, and cynical and calculated, but definitely not uncool. It was uncool of him to be awkward like this.

Something was up. What did it have to do with Kenma, though? Kenma held back a little distance with his shoulders tensed and his jaw clenched tight; his eyes cut through the darkness as Kuroo flipped off the lights. The night closed in on them.

“I… wanted to talk to you about…” Kuroo shrugged into his jacket slowly, stalling. “Uh…”

“Spit it out.”

“Give me a break!” Kuroo protested angrily. Kenma made a face at him. “Maybe I shouldn’t even bring it up.”

“Shouldn’t bring up what?”

“I…”

“Kuroo, I want to go home.”

“I know that!” Kuroo gathered his patience. He looked at Kenma with a strange look in his eyes and his arms fell slowly to his sides. His posture slackened. “You and me.”

“What?”

Kuroo stepped forward. “You and me. What do you think?”

Kenma’s heart stammered. “I don’t understand the question.”

The two of them were in the doorway of the gym; Kuroo’s eyes seemed to glow as he slunk closer, his body suddenly taking up all the space between them. He leaned his arm against the frame of the doorway with his other hand on his hip as he leaned his face close to Kenma’s. His expression was pale and handsome. He grinned mischievously. “You and me,” he repeated, as if that were all he needed to say. Heat radiated off him, and for the first time, Kenma felt cold.

“What do I think?”

“Yeah,” Kuroo smirked.

“I think you’re an idiot.”

Kuroo grimaced. “Cruel!” He reached out with his big hand and brushed Kenma’s chin with the crook of his finger. “I’m serious. I’ve known you a long time, Kenma. I really want to know what you think about you and me.”

The contact made Kenma realize exactly what he was trying to do. “We’re friends, aren’t we?” He said in a small voice, shrinking back against the door frame.

“Just friends?” Kuroo pressed.

“Kuroo, are you trying to say something?”

“No.” Kuroo closed the rest of the space between them. “I’m trying to show you something.”

Kenma’s eyes were as round as dinner plates, unable to look away. He could smell sex on Kuroo’s breath; it was warm on his clammy throat, but cold on his cheeks. He hadn’t realized that he was blushing. Their faces were so close that he could see the flecks of gold in Kuroo’s irises. Kuroo hesitated to do much more, knowing fully well he had crossed some lines already, but Kenma’s body froze up. He wanted to run. He didn’t want this. Kuroo had never bothered him before with his fake anger and bad attitude, but now that something sexual had been implied between them, he felt trapped. It was scary. He had known Kuroo a long time, but that didn’t mean anything to Kenma sexually. Did it?

“Kenma… what do you feel?” Kuroo’s tone was so sensual.

Words died on Kenma’s lips; he worked them, trying to speak, but Kuroo was tired of waiting. He kissed Kenma’s trembling lips with hungry passion. Electricity snapped through Kenma. He shoved him away instinctively and Kuroo staggered down the gym steps; he tripped headlong into the grass. Shocked, he stayed where he landed, his ass hurt, his knee scraped, and his pride deeply wounded.

“Why did you do that, Kuroo?” Kenma cried, shaking like a leaf. “I can’t believe you!” He wiped his mouth clumsily. Kuroo opened his mouth, but Kenma was sprinting headlong down the sidewalk.

“Kenma!” Kuroo called desperately, scrambling to get to his feet. “Kenma, wait!”

But he was gone.


	8. Teal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata's secret is revealed! What did Kageyama say to Daichi...?

The sound of Hinata’s sharp ringtone blared loudly from the pocket of his jacket. He was standing by the bench talking to Sugawara when it went off, scaring the both of them shitless, and Hinata dove for it. He didn’t even look at who it was when he flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

“H-Hello?”

“Shouyou!” Kenma cried into the phone, sounding relieved.

Hinata’s blood turned to ice in his veins. “Are you ok? What’s wrong, why are you crying?”

“It’s Kuroo, Shouyou,” Kenma managed. “Something happened…” He felt bad now; he wasn’t good with words in person, let alone on the phone. Why had he even called Shouyou? He lived an hour and a half away.

“What happened, are you hurt?!”

“No! No… I…” Kenma took a shaky breath. “I just needed to call someone.”

Exchanging a look with Sugawara, Shouyou grabbed his jacket and struggled into it as he tried to keep the phone pressed to his ear. “Kenma, tell me what happened.”

“Kuroo… He came on to me…”

“He did WHAT?!” Hinata squeaked, making Sugawara jump a foot in the air.

“I-It’s… I mean, he kissed me, I…”

“WHAAAAAA-??!!” Hinata grabbed a handful of his hair. “NO WAY!”

“I know… He scared me, Shouyou, I didn’t…” Kenma felt a rush of tears coming over him again. He sniffled into the phone, cradling it like it was his lifeline. Everything was dark around him but he jogged away from it and into the light of the streetlamps along the sidewalk. “I didn’t know what to do, so I… I ran.” He hunched his shoulders and cursed himself. Sobs racked his narrow shoulders. “Why would he do that?”

“He shouldn’t have scared you, that was really wrong,” Shouyou insisted. “Are you going to be ok? Do you want me to do something? I could talk to Daichi-”

“No!” Kenma snapped through his tears. “Don’t tell anyone! _Anyone,_ Shouyou!” If anybody found out, not only would they shame Kuroo and him for being gay, but they might even get kicked off the team. That was an unforgivable punishment.

Struck into silence, Shouyou froze on the threshold of the night with the warm gym air at his back and the sound of Kenma weeping in his ear. He was conflicted. Kenma had never yelled at him before. He knew he was scared, but what could he do?

“… Where do you live?” Hinata said.

“W-What?”

“Give me your address. I’ll be on the next bus over.”

Elation took wing in Kenma’s chest but he held it down. “No,” he said shortly. Guilt filled him up; why did he have to be so cold to Shouyou?

Hinata faltered. “What? Why not?”

“I don’t want you to come all this way for something this small. I can handle it. He just… really gave me a scare.”

“Are you sure? Kenma, I don’t want you to be alone with this. Are you going to tell your parents?”

“No. No one can know.”

“But he forced himself on you!”

“It was only-” Kenma took a deep, shaky breath. “It was only a kiss. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Kenma, you just called me crying, please let me-”

“No, Shouyou.” He paused. “Thank you, though. I don’t think… I mean, no one else would have even offered to come. That… that really means a lot to me. I made it home. I-I’m sorry. Please don’t tell anyone.”

Click.

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata lowered the phone from his ear and stared at it. Behind him, Sugawara was hovering nervously with his bag straps clutched tightly in both hands. “Who forced themselves on Kenma?” He demanded worriedly. “Is he in trouble?”

“Don’t say anything!” Hinata turned to him with pleading eyes. “Please, he didn’t know you were here. Don’t tell anyone about this.”

Sugawara stared at him. “Shouyou, tell me what happened.”

“Promise me you won’t tell anyone!” Hinata cried.

“I… I promise.”

“… Kuroo forced Kenma to kiss him,” Hinata said emptily. “He doesn’t want anyone else to know.” Sugawara’s shock went unnoticed. They stood in solemn silence for a minute. The battle between their minds and hearts clashed deep within them.

“We have to tell Daichi.”

“What?! No!”

“He’ll know what to do, Hinata!”

“Kenma said-”

“Kenma is _scared!_ We don’t know if Kuroo might try this again – if he doesn’t tell anybody and that happens, a lot worse could happen. You want him to be safe, right?”

“Kuroo is a bastard for what he did, but he would never-”

“You don’t know that!” Sugawara snapped. “We have no choice.” He left Hinata in order to shut off the lights and lock the door behind them. They walked silently towards the gates of the school. He tried to call Daichi but no one picked up. This was bad. Kuroo didn’t seem like the type to pose harm to shy little Kenma – he was the one who knew and respected him the most.

“Is Kenma gay?” Sugawara asked suddenly.

“W-What? I don’t know…” Hinata was flustered.

Sugawara took notice of it and his jaw dropped. “You like him?” He cried. “You like _Kenma?”_

“WHAAA?! S-SHUT UP!” Hinata spluttered.

“Unbelievable!” Sugawara exclaimed. “I thought you and Kageyama were…?!”

“W-What – Kageyama?!” Shouyou stopped walking and gave him a bewildered look. “What about me and Kageyama?!”

Sugawara had fucked up. He winced visibly. “I guess not then, huh?” He said weakly.

“I don’t understand, what would possess you to even say that? Has he said something? That lying bastard!”

“No! No, he didn’t say anything!”

“Oh, then what…?”

“I-It was just my imagination.” A light bulb lit up in Sugawara’s head. “Is that why you were so worried about this? Because you like Kenma?”

Hinata had stopped walking under a street lamp. He stared at the ground; his fists were shaking by his sides. Tears sprung to his eyes. “I want to protect him,” he whispered. “I want to keep him safe. I can’t believe Kuroo would… I need to… I need to protect him!”

There was nothing to say. Sugawara felt helpless as he watched Shouyou break down in tears. He couldn’t believe it. Who would have guessed? He felt a stab of guilt; what about Kageyama? Sugawara had seen how affectionately he’d acted on the bus. Was that just him dreaming, or was this the makings of something deeper between them that Hinata wouldn’t even return? Crickets chirped. At the bottom of the hill a car whizzed by, but the humid air around them was thick and heavy with quiet.

Daichi and Kageyama appeared from around the corner, running at top speed. “We heard yelling,” Daichi barked. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Hinata.” Kageyama walked right up to Shouyou, who had snot pouring out of his nose from crying so hard. He put his hands on Shouyou’s shoulders and looked into his face. “What’s wrong?”

Hinata said nothing. He just pushed his forehead forward and knocked it into Kageyama’s shoulder, hiding his crumpled expression. Sugawara was speechless. Daichi looked to him for support of some kind, or an explanation, but he got none. He, too, was unable to find anything to say. Kageyama rested his hand on Hinata’s hair and turned to Sugawara. An urgent look turned his scowl to stone.

“What happened?” He demanded.

“Kenma,” Sugawara said weakly, withering under his fiery look.

The name alone darkened Kageyama’s face. His spine stiffened. He turned his back on the other two, and Hinata leaned heavily against him. “I’ll walk him home.”

With that, Kageyama steered Hinata away, and before they knew it the two of them were gone. Sugawara looked to Daichi, and Daichi covered his mouth. His own heart was racked with agony enough for the both of them.


	9. Skobeloff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata knows.

Kageyama didn’t have to push Hinata down the sidewalk for long. As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, Hinata was wiping his nose and sniffing hard, trying to stop his nose from running. He jumped when something touched his arm but it was just Kageyama offering him a small package of tissues. Their hands bumped together as Hinata took the offering.

“Mom makes me carry them,” Tobio explained.

“For nose bleeds?”

“Because she’s mom.”

Hinata laughed sharply as he fumbled to get a tissue out. Then he blew his nose loudly. The town was empty. Everyone was locked up at home in bed; cars dozed in the driveways, and trucks leaned against the sides of buildings wearily. Cats were sprawled across the tops of very high walls separating the city from the town. In the distance, a dog’s bark pierced the night. Hinata pulled out another tissue to blow his nose again, stuffing the used one in his pocket.

“Don’t tell anybody.”

“Tell anybody what?” Tobio grunted.

“That I was crying. I don’t want anybody to ask me questions.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so, that’s why.”

“Don’t be a moron, moron – just tell me.”

“Shut up!” Shouyou snapped, and Kageyama scowled at him.

“What’s the big deal?” Tobio grumbled. “People cry all the time.”

Shouyou stopped walking. He dropped a handful of used tissues into a garbage can on the side of the road. As he took another one out and dabbed at his nose, he shot Kageyama a sideways glance. “Someone I care about is in trouble.”

Tobio stiffened. “Kenma?”

Blushing, Shouyou looked away. Sugawara had only said his name and nothing else, thankfully. Would he keep his promise not to tell? Even if he said they had to tell Daichi? “Yeah. And I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Ok.”

Shouyou looked at him. “What? You’re ok with just that?”

“I wanted to know why you didn’t want anyone asking questions. Asking questions would be a little counter to that, right?”

“… Yeah, you’re right, I just thought…”

“Look, Shouyou…” Tobio put his hands on his hips and glanced away into the dark. “I know I’m not that nice to you, but… I consider us… friends, I guess,” he mumbled that last part uncomfortably. “I do actually give a shit about… you know. Stuff.”

Hinata cracked a grin. “Stuff?” Tobio karate-chopped his head with the heel of his hand. As Shouyou cried out and rolled on the ground holding his head, Tobio put his foot on his stomach to make him stop fidgeting.

“You,” Tobio hissed.

Squinting through the pain, Hinata grimaced. “W-What?”

“I give a shit about you, asshole,” Tobio blurted, lifting his foot up. “Now get up. You look like a fucking moron.” He offered his hand, palm up, and Shouyou had stars in his eyes when he laced their arms together. Tobio pulled him to his feet.

“Kageyama… can I ask you something?” Shouyou asked, brushing himself off. His chocolate brown eyes glowed in the dark and Tobio felt something coming that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Do you…” Kageyama held his breath. “…like me?”

“What?” Tobio asked gruffly.

“You know. Like me.”

“No, I don’t.”

“WHAAA?? KAGEYAMA!” Hinata wailed.

Cuffing his ear, Tobio growled at him angrily. “Shut the fuck up! It’s the middle of the night!”

“Sorry…” Shouyou cradled his head, pouting. “You don’t like me at all?”

“No, I don’t!” Tobio repeated, his voice rising. “You’re annoying and obnoxious and selfish! I can’t stand the way you always push everybody around you to be better – it pisses me off! I can’t stand your perky attitude, and I can’t stand that stupid fucking grin on your face whenever you _just so happen_ to do something right! You’re a childish brat!” A hot bolt of electricity passed between them but instead of anger, something akin to awe blossomed on Hinata’s face. Kageyama did not like that look. _“What?”_ He snarled.

“You’re lying,” Shouyou whispered.

Kageyama was struck into silence. What? No, wait, he… He stared at Shouyou in terror, his entire body stiff and cold. He always talked like this! They’d never questioned him before, what the fuck? Where did that even come from - _how did he_ _know?!_ He could feel his heartbeat in his mouth. It was muffled as if his chest were full of thick, white cotton balls.

“Kageyama,” Shouyou pressed, taking a step towards him. “You do like me, don’t you - I mean really like me?” Tobio had never had to face his lies before. He didn’t know how to react. Shouyou’s jaw dropped when Kageyama gulped so hard that his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Jesus, why didn’t you say anything?! When you like somebody, don’t you usually-”

“Say anything?” Tobio snapped out of his trance, his whole body throbbing with the strength of his heartbeat. “What the fuck… what the fuck was I gonna say?!” He looked down at his hands; red filled his vision. “I… I don’t. I don’t like you - I don’t!”

“Why would you say that? Why would you lie? I don’t understand you!” Hinata exclaimed.

 ** _“STOP!”_** Tobio roared, making Shouyou freeze.

“Tobio, I-”

“Don’t _call_ me that!”

Hinata stared at him. He was in denial. What… what could he say to make him admit it? Why wouldn’t he just own up? Was he scared? He swallowed. “Kageyama,” he began.

“Just don’t,” Tobio interrupted. “Don’t even bother. It doesn’t matter anyway, right? It doesn’t even matter.” He turned away and started walking home. His footsteps scraped and echoed along the asphalt.

Hinata stared after him. His heart was torn into two pieces: on one hand, he had his dark, angry setter – the only reason he was any good on Karasuno’s team at all. Kageyama pushed him around, beat him up, pissed him off, but… he cared. He really cared. On the other hand, he had Kenma, who he knew was growing to be more than just his close friend. There was something deep in his bones that was attracted to Kenma’s quiet, placid nature, and his piercing eyes.

But Shouyou watched the dark figure of Tobio fade into the dark, clutching his shirt over his head, and his vision began to blur. Kageyama was in love with him. How was he supposed to feel about that? His nose filled with snot. Turning sharply on his heel, he started quickly towards his own home, Kageyama’s tissues still clutched in his right hand. In his pocket, his phone was a lead weight against his side.

 

* * *

 

 

Sugawara was at home, lying in bed and staring at the wall, when his phone buzzed. He flinched – who was texting him this late? He’d been deep in thought about whether he should keep his promise to Shouyou or not, and about how Kageyama’s walk home with Hinata had gone, so he was feeling pretty gloomy when he flipped open his phone.

 

Time: 11:13:24 PM

To: Sugawara Koshi

From: Kageyama Tobio

Time Sent: 11:11:11 PM

Message:

Is Hinata in love with Kenma? I need to know.

Sent from: JCall

Reply?


	10. Pine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Kenma gets to hang out with Shouyou one-on-one.

Time: 10:15:16 AM

To: Daichi Sawamura

From: Sugawara Koshi

Time Sent: 10:13:11 AM

Message:

We need to talk. It’s about Hinata, but

he needs to be there, too. It’s urgent.

Sent from: JCall

Reply?

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata woke up late. His body was heavy and lethargic as he sat up, rubbing his reddened eyes. He’d barely slept. All night he had tossed and turned, only to fall asleep a little after dawn. He looked at the clock. It was barely ten in the morning. Rubbing his face, Hinata groaned softly. So much was happening. He just wanted to play volleyball. After last night, he knew he didn’t have the focus, or the energy, but he refused to bail on practice – besides, it might clear his head to do something simple. He could just toss or something.

Rolling out of bed, he threw on his things and got his bike out. Usually he walked on the weekends because he didn’t have class but he was going to be late if he didn’t ride to the gym. He got all the way to the end of the driveway before he remembered that practice was cancelled; the coach was busy this weekend. His head drooped low. Now he couldn’t play volleyball. Not to mention he’d gotten out of bed for nothing.

Just as he was locking his bike back up his phone rang in his pocket. “Hello?” He answered, pressing it to his ear gloomily. He was going to take off all his clothes and go vegetate in bed.

“Shouyou…?”

It was Kenma! Shouyou’s heart skipped a beat. “Hey! Is something wrong? Is Kuroo…?”

“No, no,” Kenma seemed to laugh a little. “I’m in town today. I came to an art festival with my parents.”

“Wh…? Really?! Awesome! How far away are you? I can ride there on my bike!” His heart soared at the thought of seeing Kenma. Even when he remembered Kageyama and a stab of guilt accompanied it, his joy couldn’t be contained.

“We’re at the Harvester Center downtown.”

“That’s so close! Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I could’ve met you there!”

“I… I was gonna ask you last night, but…”

“Oh. Oh. Well, don’t worry about it,” Hinata said as he put his shoes back on. “I’m on the way right now.”

“Actually, Shouyou…”

“What is it? Don’t you want me to come?”

“I was thinking that I should come to you.”

Hinata blinked. “You… come here?”

“I’m not into art, but… well, would that be ok?” His hesitation was tiny and timid, and Shouyou’s heart melted.

“Of course! I’ll tell my mom so she can make us lunch!”

“G-Great! I, uh… I’ll be at the bus station in half an hour, ok?”

“I’ll meet you there.” Shouyou grinned into the phone. “I can’t wait! I’ll see you then!”

“Ok! Bye, Shouyou.”

Click.

Dancing a jig, Shouyou leaned into the kitchen, where his mother was yawning over a cup of coffee. “Mom!” He cried. “Kenma is coming over, is that ok?”

“Who’s Kenma, Shouyou?” She asked, bewildered.

“He’s my… my friend,” he managed. “I’m going to pick him up from the bus station right now. I’ll be back in an hour!”

“Ok.” His mom laughed. “Just let me finish my coffee before you invite your friends over next time.”

“Sorry mom! Bye!” Bouncing out the door and onto his bike, Hinata fumbled clumsily with the lock in his rush to leave, but before he knew it, he was flying down the hill towards the bus station as quickly as he could pedal.

“Now I gotta put on pants,” his mom mumbled, draining her coffee.

 

* * *

 

 

As the bus pulled into the station, Kenma pressed his face to the window. He could just see Hinata’s orange hair through the grimy pane of glass. The squeaking brakes of the bus filled his ears and he was finally here. Timidly, he waited until everyone else had gotten up before moving. The shuffle of their footsteps was barely audible over the pounding of his heart. He descended the steps, and when the crowd parted, he saw Shouyou waiting for him.

“KENMA!” Spreading his arms wide and grinning like an idiot, Shouyou ran at him full speed. Kenma braced himself. Shouyou jumped and he caught him in a bear hug. Despite weighing a lot less, Shouyou was just as powerful a force as Kuroo was when he was in a good mood. Kenma was experienced, though. He bent his knees and swung Hinata around until he was back on his feet safely; dizzy, but unharmed, Kenma leaned on Shouyou for support.

“Did you get here ok?”

Kenma rubbed his arm and lowered his eyes. “Yes. I’m sorry this was such short notice.”

“Don’t worry about it! You did get lucky, though – practice was cancelled today.”

“Wow… that is lucky…”

“Yup! What did your parents say about this?”

“They’ll be over to pick me up whenever the festival closes for the day.”

“Ok, cool.” They began walking back. Hinata pushed his bike alone, and he motioned to Kenma’s backpack. “What did you bring?”

“Oh, this? Just some stuff.”

Shouyou showed Kenma around town a bit. They got a snack from the shop where the coach usually worked, and spent some time in the arcade. Turns out, Kenma was amazing at all sorts of games, but Shouyou couldn’t win anything to save his life. He missed the tiny basketball hoop so many times that he wailed over having blown like two hundred yen. Kenma came over and showed him how to aim, but Shouyou still only got a few in. Then they walked in and out of a few little shops, all familiar to Shouyou, until they were halfway back to his house. They started back around lunchtime.

Shouyou chatted the whole way to fill the silence Kenma’s natural quiet created. Neither of them minded, and even though he didn’t add anything in, Kenma actively listened to everything he said. Mostly everything, anyway. Kenma’s mind began to drift when they were almost to Shouyou’s house. Hinata noticed right away but he gave him some space to think. Instead of bothering him, Shouyou began to have a rhetorical conversation with himself about a videogame he liked a lot.

When Kenma tuned back in, Shouyou was opening the front door for him. His eyes widened. Shouyou’s house. He’d been pretty nervous about coming here before. Spending time with Hinata in town had changed his mind. So, this was the house that he grew up in? Kenma stepped inside. It had a Japanese style foyer with a step to take off your shoes, which they did, but the rest of the house was a Western ranch. One floor, three bedrooms, a living room and a dining room were all painted muted shades of brown and gold. It was quiet and quaint, with plenty of space to breathe, and it smelled just like Hinata; like sunshine, cinnamon and boy’s deodorant.

Hinata introduced Kenma to his mother, who had finished making them lunch and was now lounging on the couch. She got up to shake his hand but he bowed at the waist, very low, and did not get up until Hinata forced him to by the shoulders. Even then, he stared at the floor.

“Shouyou was very excited to have you over, Kenma,” his mother said, smiling and crossing her arms. “Do you play volleyball, too?”

“Yes,” Kenma muttered.

“He’s on our rival team, Nekoma!” Hinata added. “He’s their setter.”

They ate lunch together and chatted, and Hinata just happened to check his phone, only to see that it had died in his pocket. Whoops, forgot to charge it last night, he thought. He wasn’t worried, though. The only person he wanted to talk to was here. He brought Kenma up to his room and put his phone on the charger, leaving it alone on his bed stand as they booted up his PS2.

On the screen, his phone read, ‘6 missed calls: 3 Daichi Sawamura, 2 Sugawara Koshi, 1 Kageyama Tobio.’


	11. Persian Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata is amazing at overreaching his boundaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALLLL THE FLUFF~ ALL THE FEEEEEEELLLLSSSS....~!!!

Hinata and Kenma were passing the controller back and forth, unable to beat one level of the game without dying, when Shouyou groaned in frustration. “I don’t feel like dying anymore. Wanna do something else?” Kenma offered him a few manga books to read from his backpack. They shut off the game and got onto Shouyou’s bed, both of them burying their nose into a book.

An hour passed. Shouyou liked having Kenma around. He was quiet, sassy, and helped him beat all the hardest levels in his games. Shouyou finished his manga but pretended to still be reading while he watched Kenma out of the corner of his eye. Right now he looked very cute. He was sliding down against the wall, sunk deep down into his hoodie, with his knees knocked open and the soles of his feet together. Black socks were tossed into the corner by his backpack; his bare toes on both feet wiggled and folded over one another as he read. Apparently he was anxious - he wouldn’t stop fidgeting, and kept staring wide-eyed at the pages.

Kenma’s basketball shorts were decently long when he stood up, but they were bunched up around his thighs right now. Probably because he had scooted around in them so much. He had round knees and slender, bowed thighs with green bruises along them. Hinata’s heart thundered. His thighs were so supple and soft looking. How had he gotten those bruises? He reached out to touch them, but at the last minute decided not to, and Kenma was staring at him when he looked up.

“Y-Your bruises,” Shouyou stammered, embarrassed.

“Oh.” Kenma stretched one of his legs out and turned it over to look down at the various bruises decorating his pale thigh. “Just practice.”

Shouyou bobbed his head absently, but he couldn’t look away. Kenma was holding the manga open with his dainty hands that leaned against his breast, and looking at his leg, which he’d bent at the knee. His toes curled into the comforter, his hair fell gently over his cheek, and even his eyes seemed to gleam with a charming light. He was deep in thought for some reason; his lips parted slightly. Everything about him was so quietly beautiful - his casually reclining figure was the picture of grace. It made Hinata feel strange. A light, fluffy feeling tickled his heart, and all suddenly he was hungry for physical contact. His hands twitched.

Shouyou moved to settle beside Kenma. Their thighs pressed together as Hinata put his book aside and turned to him with a very serious look in his eyes. “Kenma,” he said, “do you want to talk about what happened last night?”

“No.” The lack of space between them brought color to Kenma’s cheeks. Shouyou was so close. It felt nice. He could smell him now, feel his warmth, and it made his heart flutter. He looked at his manga, though, suddenly feeling dread creeping around in his belly like a cold, lifeless worm. He refused to look up when he felt Hinata’s eyes boring into him. He didn’t want to move, but no, he didn’t want to talk about it. One of his best friends had forcibly kissed him in the dark and made him feel helpless and small and he never wanted to think about it ever again. Actually, he wished he could just forget it ever happened. Maybe then Kuroo would just give up. Things could go back to the way they used to be.

Then, suddenly, Kenma felt a warm hand settle on his thigh. Sparks of pleasure shot through his leg to his groin. Because he hadn’t been expecting it, the touch affected him a lot more than it should have. He finally looked at Hinata, with surprise written all over his face.

“Hey,” Shouyou said sincerely. “You were really upset, Kenma. I never imagined that I’d hear you cry like you did over the phone. It really scared me.” His eyes were pleading. “Please. Talk to me.” The color in his cheeks gave him away. He was telling the truth. Kenma just stared mutely into his eyes. He was so cute, and so kind, and it made Kenma’s heart ache when he thought about last night. Hinata had been an inch away from hopping on a bus for an hour and a half just to be there to make sure he was ok. The least he could do was talk to him. He glanced at Hinata’s lips, curled into a worried frown, and along the soft planes of his face to his eyes. They were like a swirling chocolate vat, sucking him in.

“I was just scared.” Kenma heard himself saying.

“Yeah?” Hinata said eagerly.

“Kuroo was tall, and strong, and… hungry…” Kenma shivered. “And for the first time, he was holding our friendship over my head. It was like, if I said no, all the years we’ve been friends would have just… vanished. I had no idea what to do. I was like a deer in the headlights.” The memory made his eyes smart. “I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak…” He looked away. “I thought… he was going to…”

Fumbling in his pocket, he handed his phone to Shouyou as he tried to hold back more tears. He had never cried in front of anyone before – it made him feel ashamed of himself just thinking about it. But as Hinata opened his inbox and went through all the messages between him and Kuroo, all of them from after what had happened last night, Kenma felt an overwhelming frustration press down on him. Tears squeezed out of the corners of his eyes and slid down his cheeks in little wet tendrils.

Shouyou stared at the phone screen. ‘Kenma, talk to me.’ ‘Kenma, call me, will you?’ ‘Stop avoiding this! I need to talk to you.’ ‘Text me, dammit!’ ‘Is this about Shouyou?!’ ‘We have something special – I just wanted to show you how I felt. I guess it was too much for you.’ ‘Kenma you fucking bastard! Why would you pick Hinata over me? Why?’ On and on and on they went; some were borderline harassment, and some were sexual, and others were just plain angry. Hinata’s hand was shaking when he closed the phone. He’d had no idea about these messages.

Kenma wiped his nose clumsily. “He said he wants to do all sorts of things to me, with me, but I don’t… I don’t want that! Sex scares me, especially what he wants to do. I… I told him to stop… I told him that I didn’t feel that way.” He took a shaky breath. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that way, not after this.”

Sliding his other arm around Kenma’s shoulders, Shouyou rubbed Kenma’s shoulder tenderly. “I’m so sorry. He had no right. Did you sleep at all last night?”

Kenma hid his face in his arms. “No.” His voice broke; he bit his tongue to keep from sobbing. “Last night, I was more afraid of him coming to my house and making me talk to him, than I was when he was right in front of me.”

“Kenma…” Hinata felt stabs of pain as Kenma’s shoulders began to shake. He hugged him close and began to rub his thigh comfortingly. “I’m sorry, Kenma. I’m here for you. Anything you need, just tell me what to do.” He pushed his forehead against Kenma’s temple. “Please don’t cry.”

Taking a minute to compose himself, Kenma paused to let the warmth of Shouyou’s touch banish his dread; it seemed to simply melt away. In its place was a very cute boy who was having more physical contact with him than anyone else had ever managed to get. Leave it to Hinata to cross personal boundaries by leaps and bounds. Still, it was nice. Comforting. He didn’t even feel pressured by Shouyou’s hand on his thigh. He knew it was not a sexual touch, but a physical one – Shouyou wanted to share whatever it was that humans shared when the other was lacking the strength of confidence. Even if it was strange, Hinata knew just what would make Kenma feel less alone with his pain, and it worked.

Soon, his tears were gone. Kenma leaned his body into Shouyou’s. He could feel Hinata’s hot breath on his neck; it was nothing like Kuroo’s, amazingly. It was gentle, considerate. Kenma turned his face towards Shouyou’s, looking into his big damp eyes, and Hinata’s eyebrows shot up as blush spread across his cheeks. He hadn’t realized he was all over Kenma, whose hand was now brushing over the one Shouyou had on his thigh. Their noses brushed. Hinata spread his fingers wide over Kenma’s warm flesh and Kenma’s fingers fit between his own. He couldn’t bring himself to move away.

Slowly, tenderly their lips met, both of them shy and yet completely enamored with the other. It crumbled Kenma’s resolve when Hinata’s mouth tasted so familiar. Everything was so different than it had been last night with Kuroo that it was astounding that Kenma had ever even considered that that might be his first kiss. Even Shouyou could feel something new and amazing blossoming between them. This, right here, right now, was their first kiss.

They drew back quickly with the faces of two children mutually astounded with what they’d just done. Shouyou stared openly as Kenma’s mouth curled into the most adorable smile he’d ever seen and both of them cracked grins. He had finally built up enough resolve of his own to pull his hand off Kenma’s thigh if it was too much for him.

“Is it ok, that, you know… my hand?” Hinata questioned.

“Yes.” Kenma said shortly.

Grinning his head off, Hinata pushed his nose into Kenma’s cheek, squishing Kenma’s thigh in his hand enthusiastically. Kenma threw his arms around Hinata’s neck and squeezed him as hard as he could. A knock startled them both. They managed to untangle from each other before Hinata’s mother opened the door.

“Hinata? There are some boys downstairs from the volleyball team. They said they need to talk to you right away.”

“Ok, mom, thanks. I’ll be right down.” When she shut the door again Hinata exchanged a look of mischief with Kenma. “Come down with me.” He held out his hand. Unsure of himself, Kenma reached out, but Hinata grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bed. He wrapped his arms around Kenma’s waist tightly. “Can we do this more?” Shouyou murmured, rocking Kenma back and forth as he rolled on the balls of his feet. It was like he was swaying to some unheard rhythm.

Kenma hid his face in Shouyou’s shoulder, nodding silently. His cheeks were burning hot. He’d never been so happy before; it was a lot of emotion he wasn’t comfortable showing to anyone, let alone more than one person. “I’ll stay up here,” he said suddenly, gripping handfuls of Hinata’s shirt.

“Oh? Ok.” Hinata drew away, but not without kissing Kenma’s cheek with thoughtful warmth. “I’ll be back, then.” Kenma let him slide out from beneath his fingers.

As Hinata bounced out the door and down the stairs, Kenma flung himself onto Shouyou’s bed and buried his face in the blankets. He let out a muffled cry into the mattress. He’d kissed Shouyou! Finally he felt that burning fire again, just like when he watched Hinata grin at him or play volleyball! It filled him from his head to his toes with licking flames burning gasoline and petrol. He was shaking with overflowing feelings. Yes, he was head over heels… in love. Now, if only his heart would stop beating like a jackhammer.  
  


* * *

 

 

“Hey, guys!” Hinata called as he stumbled into the foyer, where the two of them stood uncomfortably. “What are you all doing here?” It was Daichi and Sugawara. The third years fixed him with a look of surprise. Shouyou was all jittery. It would take a lot to take him down off this high; he’d just kissed Kenma for the first time, but they didn’t know that.

“We tried to call, but I guess they didn’t go through. We need to talk to you about Kenma,” Sugawara explained.

Hinata swung into a serious, dark mood that, despite masking his hormones, was very genuine. His anger towards Kuroo was intense. “Oh. Oh.” He glanced over his shoulder. “He’s upstairs.”

“What?” Daichi blurted.

“Yeah, Kenma is in my room right now. He came over this morning.”

“Can we talk to him?” Daichi asked.

Kenma had seemed like he didn’t want to talk to anyone. Looking guiltily between his two senpai’s, Hinata’s expression faltered. “He wants to be alone right now.”

“Then come outside. We need to discuss this before he goes back home.”

Hinata agreed. He pulled on his sneakers and followed them out, shutting the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave some feedback ladies and gents! <3


	12. Carribean Green

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now everything is finally out in the open. Well... almost everything.

The day was fading. A hot yellow sun was drooping behind the treetops and what little, wispy clouds there were could be seen drifting lazily in packs across the sky. The taste of winter was just fading. Flowers hesitated to bloom. People could be seen toting sweaters as they climbed into their cars. Hinata sat at the bottom of his driveway with his legs spread open and the asphalt was cold beneath him. Apparently, not even a beautiful day could dissuade the snowy cold that was still embedded deep in the earth. Daichi and Sugawara walked down to join him.

 “Last night, Kuroo forced Kenma to kiss him,” Hinata began, lifting his eyes to their drawn faces. “Kenma pushed him off, which knocked him over. Then he ran away and called me crying. He was mostly just explaining how afraid he’d been but… when he tried to tell Kuroo… he got mad. Now Kuroo is sending Kenma harassing text messages. They’re about sex, jealousy, and sometimes they just sound sad, but they’re scaring Kenma twice as much as before.”

 A breeze passed between them. “Tell him to keep the messages,” Sugawara offered. “That way we can prove Kuroo was harassing him.”

“How we’re going to handle this means everything. Kuroo is their team captain; losing him would be a huge blow against them.” Daichi eased to sit down by Hinata. He glanced around the sloped suburban homes.

“I know.” Hinata stared at his sneakers. None of them wanted to say aloud what had to be done. Kenma hadn’t been assaulted, but there was strong indications that Kuroo was fully capable of that. What if Kenma hadn’t caught him off guard and pushed him away? How far would he have gone to get what he thought was his?

Protecting Kenma was their top priority. They could all feel that in their bones.

Daichi lowered his chin. “Give me Kuroo’s number.”

 “W-What?”

“Kuroo’s phone number. I’ll call him first, before we do anything, just to see if we can reason with him.”

Sugawara shook his head. “It won’t matter if we can. What’s done is done. Plus, the evidence against him-”

 “We can at least give him a heads up,” Daichi interrupted. “We might be about to rip his team and his life out from under him.” Holding out his hand, Daichi looked at Hinata somberly. “Give me his number.”

Obediently, Hinata pulled up Kuroo’s phone number and handed the phone to Daichi. He was torn between them. His need to bring Kenma safety almost didn’t overweigh his respect and loyalty to Nekoma as a team, but in the end, he would rather Kenma feel safe than the team keep their captain. In Daichi’s strong hands everything seemed to go so smoothly. He put the number into his own phone and dialed it right there and then. Then, standing up, he motioned to the two of them that he’d be back and started walking down the road with the phone to his ear.

Sugawara rubbed his neck. “I can’t believe this. Kenma is in danger of being raped by their captain. What drama is this going to dig up?”

            “It’s already dug up enough damage.”

            “Yes, but… we’re getting involved. We should tell Kenma’s parents - they should handle this, not us. We’re not involved. Whether anything happens or not, we have nothing to do with it.”

            Hinata looked back at his house. “Well… we will now.” He leaned back on his arms. “Kuroo mentioned me in those messages.”

            “What?”

            “Kuroo kept saying that Kenma chose me over him.”

            “Jesus… he knows?”

            Blushing, Hinata fidgeted. “No one really knows much of anything except that we’re talking a lot. We don’t have anything set in stone. Maybe he noticed something while we were at training week?”

            “Could be. I’m sorry this is happening to Kenma.”

            “Why are you apologizing to me?”

            “Because you barely know each other romantically and Kenma is already being tugged in all sorts of directions. That has to be hard on both of you.” Not to mention hard on Kageyama, but Sugawara kept that to himself. He was half tempted to ask Hinata about last night.

            He was right, though. Hinata hadn’t even realized how stressed he’d been all day just thinking about what had happened. It was like someone easing a boulder onto your back while you slept. But when you woke up, instead of realizing there was a boulder on your back, you went about your life as usual, adjusting your life around the boulder. Hinata realizing that he was stressed was an eye-opening experience. Maybe that’s why he was so eager to share physical contact with Kenma. He felt like that kind of human interaction could heal all sorts of things.

            Then he remembered. “Kageyama does like me,” Hinata said.

            “Really?! I thought… I thought I was just imagining things!” Sugawara covered his mouth with his hand. “Oh no…”

            Crossing his legs, Hinata looked down at his hands with forlorn eyes. “Yeah.” He studied the indents the asphalt had made in his flesh. They looked like topography. Little mountains and hills and valleys, slowly fading as his skin relaxed back to normal. “I had no idea. How did I have no idea?” He looked at Sugawara pleadingly. “He’s in love with me, how did I not notice?”

            Sitting alongside him, Sugawara put a hand on his shoulder and locked eyes with him. “Kageyama hides it. He doesn’t want anyone to know, especially you. Seeing how you are with Kenma has hurt him in ways we will never understand, because Tobio will never show us. He _wants_ to be shut up inside his head. That way, well, maybe… he doesn’t have to deal with his feelings.”

            Hinata felt a stab of guilt. “And I made him admit it. I saw it - finally I saw how he felt about me through the lies - and I crushed him.” Tears sprung to his eyes. He was so angry with himself. How could he have hurt Kageyama like that? Curling up his arms, he pushed his face into his dirty palms. Salty tears clogged his nose and leaked between his fingers to drop shortly to the asphalt.

“Shouyou?” It was Kenma, standing shyly behind the cracked front door. He saw the bent form of Hinata alongside Sugawara and his eyes widened. Without thinking, he ran down the driveway towards them. He knelt on Hinata’s other side. “What’s the matter? Are you all right, Shouyou?” Reaching out, Hinata grasped Kenma by the shoulders and wrapped him in a hug, burying his face in the crook of Kenma’s neck. This put Kenma in his lap. Kenma sort of froze as his face lit up with color, but Sugawara was smiling warmly when he turned around to look at him for permission to be there. “Is he ok?” Kenma asked, putting his hand on the back of Shouyou’s head.

“Can I tell him?” Sugawara asked quietly.

“Yeah…” Hinata mumbled.

Kenma glanced at Shouyou, puzzled. Sugawara managed to catch his eye and his smile faded at the edges. “Kageyama Tobio is in love with Hinata, too.”

Surprise blossomed on Kenma’s face. “What? Does he really?” Kenma felt something he never thought he’d feel in his life; territorial jealousy. After all, Kageyama spent long hours at practice and games with Hinata, while Kenma barely ever saw Shouyou at all. Hinata was in _his_ arms right now, not Tobio’s. That alone made him feel more comfortable.

“When did you find this out?”

“Last night.” Hinata drew back a little, resting his cheek on Kenma’s warm shoulder. He stared at Kenma’s collar instead of looking at them. “When he yelled at me and told me I was a brat, I didn’t believe it, and for the first time I noticed that _he_ didn’t even believe it. Usually, his anger drowns it out, but he’s been lying about not liking me the whole time. Maybe ever since we met.”

“Did he say it?” Kenma pressed. “Like really say it?”

“No, but… he seemed to be denying himself the pain and closure of saying it out loud. He kept arguing with himself. ‘I don’t like you – I don’t!’ He sounded terrible, like he was going to cry.”

“Oh.”

Sugawara bent his head and rubbed his face. “Poor Kageyama. He must be in so much pain.”

“I can still see his face. He said, ‘Don’t even bother. It doesn’t matter anyway, right? It doesn’t even matter.’” Hinata shut his eyes, his face crinkling up with grief.

“Because he knows about me and you,” Kenma spoke quietly with his lips on Shouyou’s cheek.

“He wanted to spare you the pain of choosing. He chose for you.” Sugawara added.

“I don’t want to hurt him... I wish I hadn’t…” Hinata groused. Pain pinched his features.

Kenma held Shouyou tightly as another few tears rolled down his face. He put his cheek to Hinata’s temple and felt his weeping tremors and shut his eyes empathetically. If only Kageyama had acted sooner, he thought. Then it would be him here comforting Shouyou, and not me.

Daichi appeared from around the corner with his phone flipped shut in his hands. No one noticed him until he was at the bottom of the driveway, and then they all looked up. He looked from Shouyou’s tear-stained face, to Sugawara’s mute expression, to Kenma’s golden eyes. “Kuroo denied everything,” he said somberly. “He claimed complete ignorance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to add feedback! Please and thank you!


	13. Viridian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobio's father? And what is Kuroo doing?

Kageyama didn’t come to practice.

Hinata waited. The whistle blew. Sweat slicked his back and soaked his boxers as he ran laps and did lunges and flew for spikes like a mad dog. He bent over his knees to catch his breath. His eyes were glued to the doors. But they did not open. His heart beat hard and fast in his chest as if it were trying to outrun itself. Even as he sank down onto the bench to lean his elbows on his knees and dip his head between them, his heart refused to stop pounding at his ribcage like a wild beast trying to free itself. He clenched his fists.

“Hinata. Hinata. Hinata!” Asahi rubbed his neck with a towel and pressed his lips into a thin line when he got no response. Alongside him Sugawara, panting, shook his head.

No one knew. Daichi had spoken to Kuroo. He’d spoken to Kenma after that, but he hadn't spoken to the team. He walked across the gym after retrieving a ball and went up to Hinata with it clutched between his sweaty palms. Hinata saw the toes of his sneakers when he got close enough and he looked up. Daichi handed him the ball. Between them passed a sort of confused, telepathic understanding, and Hinata’s eyes were swallowed up with fear.

“I can’t do this for you,” Daichi said aloud, making all of them jump. His eyes were black and guilty.

“I know,” Hinata replied immediately, surprising everyone - even himself.

“Don’t spare his feelings. Rip it off like a Band-Aid, or else he’ll draw it out until he suffers even more. Gotta make it quick.”

“Understood,” Hinata replied emptily.

 

* * *

 

 

Kuroo’s phone rang. Again. He sat in the shower, on the floor in the stream of scalding hot tap, with his head in his hands. The flesh of his body was burnt pink from the heat. His body shuddered irritably. His phone hadn’t stopped ringing once all day. It was probably the team wondering why he’d bailed on practice and class on a Monday. He reached up to the handle and shut off the water flow. With the roar of the stream gone, the phone’s ring was shrill and obnoxious, and he dripped all over the floor as he reached over into the pile of clothes on the toilet to get it. The click of flipping it open echoed against the bathroom walls. He pressed it to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Kuroo! How the hell have you been?”

“Bokuto?”

“Yeah, man!”

“I’ve been better.” Getting off the floor was more difficult than he anticipated. Kuroo grunted with the effort. “I thought you were someone else.”

“Really? Well, I only called a few times.

“…Have you heard?”

“Yeah, man. How are you holding up?”

“Ok.” Kuroo dabbed his body dry before putting on a fresh pair of jeans. He cradled the phone with his shoulder.

“You don’t sound ok. And no wonder, with all the shit flying around.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, man. Don’t fucking lie about it.” A pause. “I’m coming over. Tonight.”

“What? I told you I’m fine!” He fumbled to put his shirt on without budging his phone from his ear; this, too, was very complicated. It took all of his concentration. The jacket was easier because it was one arm at a time. He bent to put on socks and dropped the phone three times.

“Too bad, asshole! I’m already on my way. I took a train.”

Shoes were just as hard as socks. Kuroo zipped up his jacket. “When you get off the train, I won’t be here.”

“What? Why?”

“Don’t come here, Bokuto. Go home.”

Click.

“I got important stuff to do,” Kuroo mumbled. He pulled a piece of paper out of the pocket of his jeans as he descended the stairs. It had an address written down on it from the records, which he’d broken into last night. He turned his phone on silent and put it into his back pocket. He took his keys off the table and, walking through the empty house casually, stepped out the door and let it lock behind him.

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata knocked three times on the front door; tap-tap, tap. It was Western style, just like his own, except thicker and painted a dark shade of blue. The house was in the middle of a squished suburban area. Kageyama had less money than he’d anticipated – maybe even less than Hinata, which was unlikely but possible. The neighborhood wasn’t bad but there was only a square yard enclosed in a wall and a rod-iron gate with a cheap fastening lock to get inside it. Hinata had just bumped into it and it fell open.

The house was newly painted on the outside. Maybe all these houses were. They seemed new if cheaper than they looked. Behind him, the city sounded very close. The barking dogs were only a block over, and thumping music vibrated the house a few paces down from here. He could hear nothing inside. Hinata knocked the same knock one more time, just in case.

The lock clanked loudly like the kind you bought when you knew the one that came with the house was too cheap to hold back burglars. Then, the door swung open, and there stood Kageyama’s father. He was tall – even taller than Tsuki – and had a cold, thin face. His almond eyes were the same shade of Tobio’s ocean-depth blue eyes. In the bright light of the porch lamp, they glistened. He had big hands and a neat haircut and thin black frames around his round glasses, and when he shifted from one leg to the other, he held his spine erect and his chin up high just like Tobio did.

“May I help you?” Tobio’s father asked. There was no gravel in his voice. Like his prominent Japanese face, his voice had aged like fine wine, giving it a deep lilt.

Hinata liked him immediately. “I’m Hinata Shouyou, from Karasuno High School,” he said formally. “I play volleyball with Tobio. I’m very pleased to meet you.” He bowed sharply at the waist.

“Hinata? Number ten?”

When Hinata straightened back up, his eyes were glowing with awe. “You know me, sir?”

The man cracked a smile, which was entirely foreign to see in an elderly man of his composure. “I saw you on television when my son was playing. You and he have a wicked combination.” He held out a smoothly weathered hand. “Toshito Kageyama. The pleasure is mine.”

As if in a trance, Hinata shook his hand and accepted his invitation to come in. The house was vastly different inside. It was open and airy, Japanese-style, but the stairs and floors were all Western. There were no family portraits on the walls. Only paintings, obviously not done by a professional but an artist with a good grasp of technique, lined the walls in a casual flourish. There was carpet beyond the foyer where Hinata took off his shoes. He accepted the offered pair of slippers, and Mr. Kageyama instructed him to wait in the sitting room while he went upstairs to get Tobio.

The couches were old, but barely used. Only one cushion was worn down at all. Shouyou sat there. The rest of the furniture was also old and polished clean, the way older women kept house. His mother must be a stay at home mom. Where, he wondered, was she? The TV was a black box. There was an empty glass dish on the coffee table that looked like candy used to rest in it. Even the blankets folded over the arms of the couch had collected dust. It was as if no one actually lived here – like this was a front for another house, hidden up a back staircase or something. It made Shouyou very nervous. Everything was old, like Tobio’s father. How old was he? They were only in high school, why did his dad look almost like a grandfather?

“Hinata.”

Hinata hadn’t realized he was day dreaming until he was interrupted. When he looked up he spotted Kageyama standing on the stairs; Tobio’s dark eyes were equal parts yearning and cautious, but he did not budge, probably afraid that he was dreaming, too. His father came down behind him, passing him by, and took his coat out of a closet by the front door.

“I’m going to pick up your mother from bridge. Offer the boy a cup of tea; if we get back before he leaves, your mother will make you something to eat,” Mr. Kageyama said as he tied on his shoes. He stood up and smiled in on Shouyou. “I’ll be back shortly, Hinata.”

The door opened and closed gently behind him. Hinata looked up at Tobio meekly. “We missed you at practice,” he said.

“Ah.”

“I was worried, so… I came over. Your dad - he knew me. He’s really nice, and… I like your house.”

“Thanks.” He hesitated. “It’s late.”

He was being very short. Was he angry? It was pretty late; the clock struck ten as they spoke. Hinata cowered on the couch without a single place to hide. Why had he come? What could he say? He wished with all his might that a black hole would just open up and suck him in. But it didn’t.

“Look… we have to talk, Kageyama.”

“… Ok.”

Shocked, Hinata watched him descend the stairs, pad across the carpet in bare feet, and sit across from him in a tall, padded antique chair. Kageyama kept his back straight and his knees together and rested his hands in his lap. His eyes betrayed the uneasiness holding him back.

“What?” Kageyama asked patiently.

It was rude, but it wasn’t curt, which was a start. Hinata felt uncomfortable like this. He shifted to the edge of the couch cushion, resting his hands on his knees. The room seemed suddenly smaller, and dustier, and he found his throat to be very dry. He swallowed.

Here goes nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the feedback! Keep it coming!


	14. Mint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HINATA WHAT?!

“I’ll make tea.” Kageyama said curtly. He got up and walked into the adjoining kitchen without waiting for an answer; even if he could speak, Hinata wouldn’t have answered. He was still processing the fact that Tobio was cooperating with him after how he’d walked away Friday night. Shouyou twisted in place to watch him pour the water and set the kettle to boil. Kageyama was wearing a black shirt with roughly painted characters on it that read ‘Setter Life,’ and black shorts that stopped just above his knees. His legs were long and strong. As he moved around the kitchen, he twisted his lean waist this way and that, searching for the box of tea with a thoughtful look on his face. Shouyou saw the muscles in his back flexing when he bent to check the cabinets below the counter.

“I’ve come to apologize,” Hinata said.

Kageyama glanced over at him, seeming to be genuinely surprised. “Why?” He found the tea and got to his feet again, setting it on the counter along with two mugs and a spoon.

“What do you mean, why?” Hinata squeaked.

“I mean that I don’t understand. You didn’t do anything.”

“But I…? I upset you!” Hinata blurted. “I even yelled at you - I called you a liar!”

“I am a liar,” Kageyama said honestly, and Hinata’s astonishment mounted. “I recently realized how often I happen to lie.” At Shouyou’s helpless look, he glanced him subtly up and down before sighing. “Mostly, I just lie to you, or… to myself.” Tobio’s dark eyes lowered; his brows knitted together. “I was… I…” He clenched his fists on the countertop. “It’s hard for me to talk about.”

Hinata was terrified to speak, lest he break Kageyama’s flow. He was glued to his seat, breathless in anticipation. He leaned towards him. “Please let me understand,” he said.

“I… I mean to say that I am not mad at you, Hinata. I never was.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah. I was mad at myself.”

“Oh… oh.” Hinata leaned back guiltily. “Why?”

“Probably because I’m in love with you.” Shouyou choked. Tobio didn’t notice. “I’ve never said that out loud before.” Leaning on the counter, Kageyama smiled at his feet. There was an attractive color in his cheeks. “I guess it’s kinda lame. For me, I mean.”

“No!” Hinata protested. “It’s not _lame!”_ He got up, walking to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. They were a few paces away. Leaning on the door frame, Hinata rubbed his arm shyly. “It’s beautiful to be in love. It fills you with so much joy - even before anybody else even knows about it. How could you… why would you say that’s lame?”

Kageyama faced him. Their eyes met. “Because I never said it to you when it mattered.”

“Like… when?” Shouyou felt shivers rolling up and down his spine.

“Like when I first met you on the court, or when you saw me afterwards and cried your eyes out,” Kageyama added, “or even when I promised you the ball would always be there when you swung for it.” He was stoic. His shoulders were tense and rigid. Even being near Shouyou was hard for him, it seemed. He was fighting depression and desire even as they stood in the middle of his kitchen waiting for the water in the kettle to boil. He was still so hurt.

“I meant to say it,” he continued. “Every day, I meant to. But after a while, I forgot what it was. It became what I did and not what I said. I forgot what it sounded like to really tell anyone that I loved them, let alone tell you, who I was afraid to feel anything for. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find the words if I ever tried to explain it to you, and I was afraid… so I completely lost my nerve.”

“Why afraid? What did I ever do to make you afraid of having feelings for me?” Hinata’s face was pinched. “Was I that…?”

“No, no,” Tobi said quickly. “It wasn’t what you did. Anything you said or did to me was because I instigated a fight to cope with… me being me.” His eyes narrowed in frustration, and he looked away. “It was my fault. It was all my fault.”

“Tobio,” Shouyou pleaded, and for the first time Kageyama looked at him with stars in his eyes.

“I wish you wouldn’t say my name that way,” he said weakly.

Tears smarted in the corners of Hinata’s eyes, but he bit them back, his heart surging with affection and grief at the same time. He was being overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. How helpless did Tobio feel? How awful was it to love someone and be skipped over like that? How cruel, how terrible it must be, to feel love’s sweet kiss and then a stake through the heart, in much the same shape as your love. Shouyou rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. He was so tired of crying.

“I’m so sorry. I wish I hadn’t been so selfish. All this time I thought about was how grumpy you were, or how much you yelled at me, but I never even once stopped to wonder why. Why…” He clutched his shirt over his heart. “I…” He gulped. Could he say this? Should he?

_“Stop.”_

Shouyou’s eyes shot up in surprise. “What?”

Kageyama looked like he’d just been shot in the chest. He’d doubled over in place with his hand over his heart. “Stop crying! Don’t ever cry over me. _I hate it,”_ he seethed, angry all of a sudden. “I never wanted you to know for this reason – this exact reason! I never wanted you to feel my pain. It’s fine for me to suffer – I lie to you, I put you down, I’ve tried to knock your lights out _– but it’s not ok for you to suffer!”_ He slammed his fist on the counter and Hinata stumble back a step. “Please stop. I can’t… I can’t handle your tears.” He begged.

“I can’t help it!” Hinata shouted. _“I love you, too!”_

The house went dead silent. Kageyama’s breath caught in his throat; after that, he refused to breathe for fear of breaking the spell that had ensnared them. His lungs burned. His heart ached. But still he refused oxygen. Hinata looked horror stricken. He backed away step by step until he bumped into the couch. Then he dropped onto it like a brick, his hands shaking, having paled considerably.

            “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

            Tobio sucked in a deep breath. “What did you say?”

            “Tobio, I-”

            “What did you _say?_ ”

            Shouyou sobbed wretchedly. “I said… that I love you, too, Kageyama.”

His voice was so small and quiet that Tobio almost didn’t hear it over the squeal of the tea kettle. Reaching over slowly, Tobio lifted it off the burner and shut off the stove. Silence fell again. He put the kettle on a cold burner. Then, step by step, he crossed the room. He heard Hinata’s sobbing, but that was all he could hear over the pounding of his heart. He knelt between his scraped-up knees and the carpet dug into his shins, and he reached out with his big hot hands, and he grabbed Shouyou firmly by the shoulders and looked deeply, pleadingly into his moist eyes.

“Is that a lie?” He demanded, his voice unusually deep.

Hinata recoiled as if struck. “No!”

Tobio realized he must be scaring him. He softened his hold. Instead, he began moving his palms rhythmically up and down Shouyou’s upper arms, as if to soothe the marks he’d made with his iron grip. “You…?” He worked his mouth, but nothing came out.

Shouyou sat right in front of him and wept much harder than he had Friday night. He held nothing back, because he was ashamed of what he felt, and because he mourned the grief and pain that he’d caused Tobio. He loved two boys who loved him back; all he wanted was for the pain in his heart, go away - the pain of having to choose.

“I-I didn’t mean to,” he cried. “I thought you hated me! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! I could’ve… we could’ve been…” Loud moans of grief accompanied his tears. “I didn’t know what to do!”

As he broke down again, he was disoriented by the world around him shifting. Something hard had lifted him off the couch. He clung to whatever it was, unable to see through his tears, but he knew the heat of Tobio’s skin the moment he touched it. Shouyou’s heart froze in fear. They were moving. Kageyama was climbing the stairs with Hinata in his arms like a child. He kicked open his door and kicked it shut behind him, and in the dark he walked Shouyou to his bed and laid him down.

It was pitch black. Shouyou’s tears were stifled by terror. What was he doing? Beneath him he felt crumpled sheets, but Kageyama was kneeling over him on the bed, radiating warmth. His body thrummed at the feeling of having Tobio looming over him like this. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t see. His face was wet with salty tears and his nose was running and his heart felt like it was going to break out of his ribcage and smash the window and go sprinting down the street. His body yearned for touch. What was this feeling of arousal? He’d never, ever had someone this close - not touching him at all - make him feel like he was in heat.

Tobio leaned in close. Shouyou could feel him panting on his throat. “Did you stop crying?” He whispered.

“Y-Yeah.” Thick with tears, Hinata’s words were laden with desire and confusion.

“Good. Close your eyes for a minute and relax,” he ordered. “You’re going to faint if you don’t calm down.”

“What... what are you…?”

“Do as I say.”

Hinata obeyed. He shut his eyes, and tried to feel the room around him. The pillow was thin but soft beneath his head; probably a feather pillow. His nose could drain when he was on his back like this. Soon, he could smell Kageyama everywhere – his deodorant, his body, his breath; it was so sensual. He wanted to tug at his sweatpants to hide what was quickly becoming an erection but was too scared to move.

Most of all, he felt Tobio, poised over him, and tracked every twitch in his muscles. Kageyama began to move. To Shouyou’s endless shock, the towering figure disappeared. Tobio lay beside him in bed with the covers in his hands; he pulled it over both of them, tucking Hinata in tightly, and lay flush with him beneath the blankets. His body felt hard and lean against Shouyou’s thigh. Lying on his side, Kageyama put his hand on Hinata’s chest to feel his heartbeat.

“Better.”

The weight of his hand, the press of his body… Hinata blushed deeply in the dark. He was definitely turned on. Maybe Tobio wouldn’t notice his raging boner. As he concentrated on his breathing, the world faded away. Soon it was just the two of them. His heart beat backed down to normal. His chest ached from crying, though, and so did his head.

“Shouyou?”

“Hm?” Hinata murmured sadly, feeling dazed.

“I know that you’re in love with Kenma.”

Hinata tensed up again. “…I… I am,” he confessed. “I love the both of you with all my heart.”

“I know. It’s all right. Right now, I honestly just wanted you in my bed,” Tobio admitted softly. “But as long as you’re with him, you and I can’t be like this, Hinata. He means too much to you. You mean a lot to me, too, but… It’s not like we’re ready for anything even close to what you have with Kenma. I know that’s much easier for you to deal with, so… be with Kenma. Take care of him. And if we get our time, then we’ll be lucky. If not… we both were at fault, but that just means that it wasn’t meant for us.” He leaned his head onto his hand. “Ok?”

Shouyou sniffed sadly. “Yeah. Ok.”

“Good.” Tobio withdrew his hand. “Rest for a minute. I’ll go finish making your tea; come down when you’re ready. Don’t hurry or else you’ll get all worked up again.”

Before Hinata could protest, Tobio had slipped away, and shut the door behind him. Without his warmth the bed felt foreign. It was uncomfortable to be in there alone. But Shouyou stayed still for a few minutes anyway; he allowed his boner to fade enough for him to hide. He focused on breathing calmly. The front door opened and closed, and the voices of his parents echoed up the stairs. Then, when he was ready, he gingerly sat up to look around. His eyes had adjusted to the dark. There were no posters on the wall, no color to speak of – the only objects were clothes piled in the corner, a volleyball in the middle of the floor, and a laptop on the thin white desk. Even his duffel bag was out of sight.

Shouyou got to his feet and went downstairs. He had tea with Tobio and his family, said his goodbyes, and got to the bus station just as it began to rain. The crudely opening folding doors were a Godsend if he ever saw one. He climbed onboard and sank into a seat and pressed his face to the cold window, thanking the heavens that he was finally alone.


	15. White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata tells Kenma everything.

Time: 11:02:36 PM

To: Hinata Shouyou

From: Kozume Kenma

Time Sent: 10:01:11 AM

Message:

I really enjoyed hanging out with you.

Can we do it again soon?

Sent from: JCall

Reply?

 

Kenma lay drowsily in bed, napping on and off while he waited for Shouyou to text him back. His phone was flipped open beside him on the pillow. He was lying on his belly with his blankets mounded around him and both his feet stuck out at different angles, releasing heat. It had been a long day with a hard practice at the end of it. He’d done a lot in order to burn off some extra stress this week had caused him, and everyone had noticed, unfortunately.

Thankfully, though, Kuroo had bailed, but how long would that last? Kenma shut his eyes again. It was too much stress right now, he didn’t wanna think about it. His phone screen lit up. Opening his eyes lazily, he picked it up in one hand and squinted at the message.

 

Time: 11:10:16 AM

To: Kenma Kozume

From: Hinata Shouyou

Time Sent: 11:09:03 AM

Message:

Definitely! Kenma, can I call you?

Sent from: JCall / KTalk

Reply?

 

Kenma texted him a quick yes and frowned. Why did Shouyou need to call him? Was something up? He had a bad feeling in his gut. When his ringtone went off, he let it ring twice before answering. He pressed his phone to his ear.

“Shouyou? Hey.”

“Hey…”

Oh, no. Hinata sounded awful. Was he sick, was he hurt? Kenma’s heart lurched. He sat up in bed and tucked his hair behind his ear.

“You don’t sound good at all - what’s wrong, Shouyou? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I just… Kageyama didn’t come to practice, so… I went to see him…”

Kenma’s heart clenched with jealousy. “You did?”

Shouyou sighed; through the phone, it sounded fuzzy and melancholy. “I had to. It’s my fault that he’s upset in the first place.”

“Ok.” A pause stretched. On the other end, Kenma could hear his haggard breathing. “Did something happen?” He asked quietly.

“Yes,” Hinata said quietly.

Kenma felt a sharp stab of agony. He bit his tongue, hard. “Shouyou,” he said shakily. “Did you two…?”

“No, no, we didn’t do anything. But… we talked, and I got upset, and I…” He took a deep breath. “Kenma, I’m in love with you,” he blurted.

The icicle in his heart melted a little, but a roar of shock filled his ears. “W-What? You what?” Kenma stuttered. “You… you love me?”

“Yes! I really love you. I do.”

Ken clutched his chest. “Then… why don’t you sound happy?”

“Because I … I love Kageyama, too.”

Kenma’s words were snatched away. The icicle in his heart drove home, filling his body with agonizing pain. _I knew it,_ he thought. How did I know? Why didn’t I say something sooner? His whole world seemed to break at the knees and hover in mid-air, waiting for the cue to crash all around him. Steel beams severed. Rooftops lifted off of houses. He sat in the middle of something right out of the matrix and all he could do was stare at his pillow. He’d just been given hope dangled out on the sharp edge of a knife.

The silence unnerved Shouyou. He was well aware of how terrible it was for him to say that. “Are you there?” He asked.

“Mm.”

“Kenma, you both mean a lot to me. I know this is rotten, but… I wanted you to know. I have no right to keep that from you. Kageyama and I agreed that we shouldn’t be together because of what me and you have. It was actually all him - I was a mess at the time.” Shouyou sniffed. “Kenma… I’ve thought about this a lot since we started talking, and… I want to be with you. I loved having you here. You made every part of my day so, so much better. I love your smile, I love your laugh, I love having you close to me – I want to protect you forever, and it’s really awful of me to take away how happy I should be making you right now by telling you that I love you.

“I’m so sorry that you have to hear this over the phone and not in person. If I could, I’d be there right now with you right now. I’m sorry about all this. I know you’re probably upset with me, so… if you want, you can hang up. When you’re ready you can call me or message me whatever you decide to do. I won’t be mad at you, whatever happens. Is that ok?”

Kenma stared numbly into the distance.

“…Kenma?”

“…You really love him?”

“Yes.”

“But… you want to be with me anyway?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?” Kenma’s face scrunched up. He hid his tears in his hand. “Why do you even like me? Why not just fuck _Kageyama,_ and forget about me?! I mean, he’s your setter! You’re always together - he’s right there almost every day! You have to be closer to him than you are to anybody, right?”

“Kenma-”

“Tell me why!” Kenma cried. “After all that, why are you trying to stay with me when you have him?!”

 _“Because I need you!”_ Shouyou shouted into the phone. Kenma’s eyes widened. “I _need_ you to smile at me! I _need_ your little comments, and I _need_ your hands on my shoulders, and your body as close to me as possible. I need you, Kenma, I… I don’t know what I’d do if you didn’t care about me. You make me feel like… like…”

“… like you could fly?”

“Yes, that’s it!”

“Shouyou… you don’t need me to fly.”

“You don’t understand – without you, it just feels like… falling.”

Kenma buried his face in his arm, nursing the phone to his ear. “Shouyou…”

“Tell me that you don’t love me.”

“W-What?”

“Tell me that, and I’ll do what you want. If you don’t love me, tell me now. I’ll be with Kageyama instead. I’ll stop bothering you.”

“I-I can’t-”

“Why can’t you?”

“I just… I…”

“Do you love me, too, Kenma?”

Kenma’s voice came out strangled. _“I love you so much…”_

A breath of relief came through the line. “I love you too, Kenma. Do you forgive me?” Hinata asked timidly.

He sounded so sincere and so cute that Kenma’s heart throbbed. He sniffled, falling to lie down in bed. His head hurt. “Yeah… yeah, ok. I forgive you, Shouyou.”

“Thank you. I’m so sorry. Really, I am. Please believe that I will make this up to you.” He smiled into the phone. “Get some sleep. I’ll come over this weekend, and we can kiss some more. Ok?”

Kenma blushed. “O-Ok…”

“Goodnight, Kenma. I love you.”

“I love you too, Shouyou... Goodnight.”

Click.


	16. Lotus Blossom Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: forced contact similar to a rape situation. Avoid if easily triggered.

Tink. Tink.

            Silence.

            Tink.

            Kenma rolled over in a daze. What time was it? He looked at his phone’s outer screen and clumsily pushed a button. It glowed 1:00AM.

Tink.

What the fuck? Lifting his head, Kenma looked up just in time to see an aluminum can hit his window, making a tink noise as it bounced back to the ground. His blood froze in his veins. Who was that? Was it… Shouyou? No, he said the weekend, not tonight. Maybe he changed his mind… He’d just make sure. Creeping out of bed, Kenma knelt by the window like a scared cat and peered through the curtains.

His worst fears were realized. It was the silhouette of Kuroo and his spiked hair pulling his arm back to throw the can again. When he spotted Kenma he paused. Kenma pressed his body to the wall under the window sill and tried to think. What could he do? Call the police? No, that’d get too much attention. The can bounced off the window again and made him jump. Shit, he was right outside! The world swam around him. Nothing stood still. He rose to his knees and waved for Kuroo to stop throwing the can, and the silhouette waved back, motioning for him to come outside. Probably to do more of what he did Friday night.

Heart racing, Kenma hurried to put on socks and shoes. Then he crept down the stairs. Step by step, his anxiety grew, pounding in his veins like a thousand eager racehorses. He could barely feel his legs. All of him went numb. He didn’t remember putting on his jacket or the way the back door squeaked when it opened, but he did remember grabbing a flashlight from the counter by the door. He flicked it on and shone it into the back yard.

            “Kuroo?” He hissed.

            “I’m here, Kenma,” Kuroo called softly. He was sitting on the low garden wall adjacent to the road. Kenma shone the light over him. He was dressed casually, with the crumpled soda can in his hand. His eyes smoldered.

            Kenma gulped. “What do you want?”

            “To apologize.” Kuroo put the can down and held his hands up. “I won’t move. Promise.”

            The door shut behind Kenma softly. He stood with his shoulder to the wall of his house, hugging himself in the cold night air. Winter refused to loosen its grip on them.

“Start talking,” he said somberly.

 

* * *

 

 

            Hinata’s phone rang in the dark. He was staring at the ceiling, his eyes red-rimmed, and for some reason it didn’t startle him. He answered it. “Hello?” He rasped.

            “Hinata?”

            “Daichi, what are you doing up this late?”

            “Bokuto called me. He said Kuroo was acting strange, and now no one can find him. Have you talked to Kenma?”

            “Yeah, I called him about two and a half hours ago. Why?”

            “Call him again. We think Kuroo is after him.”

            Hinata sat bolt-upright. “What?!”

            “Call Kenma. Just make sure he stays indoors until they can find Kuroo.”

            “O-Ok.”

            Click.

Hinata stared at his phone for thirty seconds before he could process what had just happened. He hadn’t dreamed that call, right? He didn’t want to wake Kenma up, but if Daichi was scared… He dialed Kenma’s number.

 

* * *

 

 

            “Look,” Kuroo began, holding his arms out. “I don’t know what you thought I was trying to do, but I didn’t know you’d be so angry about a kiss.”

            “It wasn’t the kiss!” Kenma snapped. “It was the fact that I didn’t _want_ the kiss! I didn’t want you anywhere near me, and yet you fucking put your mouth on my face. It was disgusting!”

            “You’re so cruel, Kenma.” The light of the flashlight wavered over Kuroo’s face. “How was I supposed to know you thought I was disgusting?”

            “Because when you came towards me I tried to get away. Normal people would notice when someone, oh I don’t know, didn’t want you to kiss them?” Scowling, Kenma shivered. “I thought we were friends, Kuroo. Friends don’t push themselves on each other.”

            “So it’s my fault now that you don’t have the same feelings for me?”

            “What are you talking about…?”

            “Kenma…” Kuroo got to his feet. “I’ve had a crush on you since we were kids. I thought you knew.”

            Kenma’s eyes were wide. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to go back inside. “I had no idea, Kuroo,” he admitted.

            The ground seemed to shift beneath his feet; Kuroo was just fine, pacing the garden casually, his hands slung in his pockets. “Yeah… well, I should’ve said so sooner.”

            “Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”

            “How was I supposed to tell my best friend that I wanted to sleep with him?”

            A pause. “You just want to fuck me?”

            “I couldn’t sleep at night thinking about it. That’s why I’m here right now, Kenma. I can’t sleep knowing that you want nothing to do with me. Girls just don’t do it – I need you! You don’t understand what it’s like to want to fuck somebody for years!” He stopped pacing and grinned at Kenma. “… I do know you just became Shouyou-sexual, though. Imagine what it’s like… day in, day out…” He crept closer. “Seeing someone else with Shouyou, laughing with Shouyou, texting Shouyou all day and all night… then when you finally get close enough to have your chance, he spurns you from his feet like a pauper and fucks somebody else.” He stopped walking three paces away. “What if it was Kageyama? Can you imagine that, Kenma?”

            Even after all they’d been through, Kenma still felt no sexual attraction to Shouyou. Only physical need and emotional need. He struggled to imagine what it was like to want somebody in that way, but it was nearly impossible without ever experiencing it himself. He could see Shouyou leaving him for Kageyama, though. The thought of them having sex together when Shouyou went to visit… fire sprung into his eyes. His lungs sucked in more air; his hands clenched into fists. Smoke blew out his nose. It made him _furious_.

            Kuroo laughed. “See? Now you understand.” He held his arms out in a show of confusion. “I just don’t know what to do, you know? When you need something that badly…” He swallowed. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I wish I hadn’t. But would you not even consider-”

            “No,” Kenma cut him off. “I can only try to imagine how I’d feel if Shouyou left me for someone else. But I _can_ imagine how I’d feel if Kageyama asked Shouyou to sleep with him while Shouyou was with me. Murderous.” He stood steadfast on the patio, clutching his flashlight like a saber. “Despite the fact that I still don’t have those feelings for you, Kuroo - and I don’t - I’d never morally be able to do that to Shouyou.” He opened the back door. “Go fuck somebody else.”

            Kuroo leaped forward like a black cat pouncing on its prey, and at the same time, Kenma’s phone rang, and he had already halfway sprinted inside the house. Kuroo’s foot stuck between the door and the doorframe. Kenma slammed the door against it, trying to shut it despite the obstacle shoe in question, and the altercation woke his parents upstairs. Kuroo lunged through the crack in the door and Kenma jerked away from him, releasing the doorknob which flung the door open completely. In his haste, Kenma tripped. He felt a jolt of horror as Kuroo descended on him.

 

* * *

 

 

            Kenma didn’t pick up. Shouyou waited and waited, and called again, but he got nothing. He called Daichi back. “He’s either asleep or his phone is on silent, I don’t know which,” he said.

            “Bokuto is almost to Kenma’s house. Wait for me to call back.”

            “Ok.”

 

* * *

 

 

            Hands clamped his arms down. A rough, hot mouth ensnared his own. Kenma felt the weight of Kuroo’s entire body bearing down on him. His yelp of pain was muffled by Kuroo’s lips when something phallic and as hard as concrete stabbed his groin. It was like being hit with an iron pipe! Thrashing, Kenma’s phone kept ringing, but there was no way he could get to it. He was in a panic. His heart was beating irregularly, his vision was swimming, and his entire body was immobile under the horny form of his captain.

            Kuroo released Kenma’s mouth to bite down on his neck, giving him a hickie, and Kenma released a bloody scream that could have broken glass. His parents could be heard clamoring down the stairs. “Goddammit, Kenma,” Kuroo groaned. “I can’t wait much longer!” Rocking back onto his knees, in one swift motion he picked Kenma up by both hands, got to his feet, and lifted him off the ground.

            By the time Kenma’s parents got to the back door all there was left was Kenma’s flickering flashlight rolling across the linoleum.

 

* * *

 

 

            Bokuto ran at top speed up the steep hill towards Kenma’s house. Kuroo, man, he thought, what the fuck is going on with you? He turned a street corner and ran head-on to Kuroo, who was like a brick wall. Bokuto landed flat on his ass. When he recovered, he looked up to see Kuro toting a thrashing Kenma in his arms. Both looked wild and terrified.

Bokuto’s heart leapt into his throat. “Kuroo, what the fuck is going on? Why did you kidnap Kenma?” He demanded.

            “I can’t talk, they’re coming,” Kuroo hissed. He tried to walk around Bokuto, but Bokuto grabbed him by the collar.

            “Stop this, man! Put Kenma down – let him go, for Christ’s sake! What are you gonna do to him?!”

            “I told you not to come! I told you to go _home!”_

            “Put him down, _NOW!”_

            “FUCK OFF!” Kuroo aimed a strong kick in his direction, and nailed Bokuto in the gut. He winded him just enough to get away. As Bokuto struggled back to his feet, Kenma’s father came sprinting down the road.

            “HE TOOK MY SON! THAT MAN JUST TOOK MY SON!” He was screaming.

            “Call the police,” Bokuto cried. “Tell them Kuroo Tetsuro just kidnapped your son.” Then he took off after Kuroo, holding his bruised ribs as he ran. He pulled out his phone and dialed Daichi. He knew just where they were headed.

Kenma’s father watched him go with wide eyes. “Please, bring him back!” He cried.

 

* * *

 

 

Hinata had dozed off again when his phone rang... again. He groaned and answered it.

“Kuroo just kidnapped Kenma! They’re heading back to his apartment now!” Daichi shouted into the phone. “Put your shoes on and go outside – Tanaka’s sister is driving us there right now!”

Everything that happened after that was as if it were happening to someone else. Hinata floated out of his body, watching it struggle into clothing, stumble down the stairs clutching his phone, screaming into it desperately for answers. He woke his whole household. His mother called out to him as the car pulled up. The door opened, and half of the Karasuno volleyball team was jammed into the tiny cab. Kageyama reached out his hand and pulled Shouyou inside. The ghost of Hinata followed.

The door slammed shut as Hinata’s mother ran out the door, watching the vehicle full of boys peel away into the night.


	17. Love Letter Pink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto to the rescue!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: More rape content! Read with caution!

Kuroo kicked in the door of his house. It banged back against the wall as he hurried inside, and the lock snapped into place once it was firmly shut again. He took Kenma into the kitchen. He dug a zip tie out of one of the drawers and bound his hands together behind his back.

“Kuroo!” Kenma cried. “Let me go _right now!_ Stop!”

“Shut up.” Kuroo was cold and unreadable. “If you scream, I’ll gag you.”

Kenma was struck speechless. He had stopped thrashing by now; the whole way over here, Kuroo had kept hitting him when he tried to call out, and now he could feel the bruises forming along his back and legs. So far he’d managed to shield his face and chest, but for how much longer could he hold him off? Kuroo was much more cooperative when he didn’t fight back, but Kenma’s head was reeling. Kuroo was going to force him to have sex with him. He was going to be raped. No matter how he reasoned with him, or cried, or screamed, no amount of emotional responses could change his mind.

Eyeing him, Kuroo pulled a reel of duct tape off of the counter, hesitating to use it. “Have you changed your mind?” He asked. “Or maybe you’ve given up?”

Their eyes locked. Kenma swallowed. “No, but…” If he just did it, would it be less hassle? I mean, he did want to eventually do it with Shouyou – someday. Between guys, it couldn’t be that bad. Kenma shuddered. The thought terrified him beyond belief, but not as much as Kuroo was terrifying him right now. Maybe he could get close enough to kick him in the cock – then he’d get the shit beaten out of him, but at least he wouldn’t be raped. The look in Kuroo’s eyes was dangerous. Would he kill Kenma if he didn’t get what he wanted?

“Kuroo… I…” Kenma was in tears. “Please… I’m sorry, ok? I’m sorry! You scared me on Friday – I didn’t mean to overreact!” He cried. “I’m scared, Kuroo! You’re scaring me!”

“Yeah. I’m scared, too.”

Rough hands grabbed him and dragged him up the stairs, crying and sobbing. The door to his room was open. Kenma gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs. Kuroo had knocked him back onto the bed, and he carefully hooked his cuffed hands onto the headboard. The bed was a queen size. It was made up in white sheets and a blue blanket bunched up against the wall, discarded after long nights of no sleep, and Kenma realized this was the first time he’d been to Kuroo’s house, let alone in his room. How long had they been friends? Ten years?

“I can’t stop. It’s too late,” Kuroo muttered.

“No it’s not!” Kenma argued. “Stop this! You haven’t done anything yet!”

Kuroo straddled Kenma’s thighs, trapping his legs beneath him, and pushed Kenma’s shirt up enough to kiss his belly as it shuddered with every breath Kenma took. He breathed hotly against it. “That’s my mistake,” Kuroo grinned. “Jesus, you’re so warm…” Then he pulled Kenma’s jacket off, using it to tie around his hands with another layer of binding.

Kenma broke out in a cold, clammy sweat as Kuroo’s hands went under his shirt. All of this was like being trapped in a nightmare. Kenma couldn’t kick, or punch, or bite, and even if he did, it would only make Kuroo more violent. He was already in a lot of pain from the bruising he’d just gotten – something much worse was in store if he pissed him off any more. Kuroo was unconcerned, though; he rubbed Kenma’s body sensually as if nothing were wrong, shifting his hips and his hard-on against Kenma’s pelvis.

When a wave of hot, flustering feelings bubbled up inside him, Kenma was horrified. His body was reacting without him. Kuroo was tugging down the top of his sweatpants, massaging his thumbs into Kenma’s pelvis, and it made his groin throb. Kenma felt twelve again as his cock hardened without his consent. No small amount of fear was spiking his entire system, making him tremble, hyperventilate, and the world pitch and whirl around him - and yet for the first time in his young life, he got a rush of lust. His body wanted to be touched.

The pressure of the feeling was so immense that he released a frustrated groan. What the fuck was happening to him? Why was he _finally_ feeling sexual after all these years of feeling nothing at all? Was this what it took to turn him on – being raped? He gritted his teeth through his tears as Kuroo slid his fingers beneath the waistband of his pants as well as his boxer briefs. With one easy motion, Kenma’s pants and underwear were around his ankles. His boner bobbed freely in the air, taunting him. Kuroo pushed the lump of Kenma’s pants around his sneakers and they dropped to the floor.

“I knew you wanted it,” Kuroo purred. He was way too pleased with himself. Wrapping his hand around Kenma’s cock, he stroked it casually. “How’s this feel?”

Kenma fought the pleasure shooting through his core. “Stop, please don’t,” he begged. “Don’t…” But it felt so good. He groaned helplessly. Kuroo stopped only to wrestle out of his own clothes. He was down to his jeans when the sound of pounding fists on the front door echoed from downstairs.

“KUROO! OPEN THE DOOR! LISTEN TO ME – LET KENMA GO! YOU DON’T WANT TO DO THIS!” It was Bokuto. He pulled back and began to throw his shoulder against the door.

Ignoring Bokuto’s racket, Kuroo kicked his bedroom door closed from the bed. Then he wrapped his hand around Kenma’s cock again. “How often do you jack off, Kenma? Once a week? Twice?”

Emotions overwhelmed Kenma. He turned his face away and wept silently into his shoulder, his body convulsing. His cock twitched in Kuroo’s hand.

“Ooohh… not often enough, apparently.” Kuroo teased. “Let me just… get that for you…” 

He was using extreme care to elicit only pleasure in Kenma’s body. He tightened his grip, and put more strength into his hand, and in a few quick strokes Kenma was struggling against something building inside him. He moaned. Kuroo used his free hand to undo the button on his jeans. He was completely focused on Kenma. The sound at the door had stopped, but he hadn’t noticed.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered. “I need to be inside you.”

Kenma bit back a moan and tried to focus on his fear, but the pleasure was too much. Kuroo’s strong hand massaged him so well. Was this what it felt like to be on the brink? What if Kuroo stopped right now?

“You’re so fucking hot…” Kuroo whispered.

Dread filled Kenma’s belly. He knew now how ravenous it felt to be horny, and it was a scary feeling. Right now he’d do anything to finish - but he didn’t have to. His lips parted in the gap between the chemical reaction coming to a head and the clench in his cock. He came, electricity tickling his groin, and colors exploded behind his eyes. His hips rocked into Kuroo’s grasp and his loud, lusty moans filled the house, making the entire world fade away. Everything went out of focus.

Kuroo used the lapse in his bodily function to lift up both of Kenma’s legs, bending them at the knee. With his soiled hand he propped for an entrance and it was right where he knew it’d be. He unzipped his fly hastily.

The bedroom door banged open. Bokuto, covered in scratches and scrapes, stood panting in the doorway. He lunged forward as he spotted Kuroo on the bed with both of Kenma’s legs on his shoulders. He grabbed Kuroo by the shoulders and threw him bodily to the floor, tossing himself down on top of him. He pinned a shocked Kuroo to the floor.

“You fucking bastard!” Bokuto snarled. “How could you?!”

Kuroo thrashed furiously like a cornered animal. He gnashed his teeth at Bokuto. “I’ll fucking kill you, Bokuto!” He shouted. _“Get the fuck off of me-”_

Bokuto kneed him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Then his fist connected with Kuroo’s jaw. The snap-back of Kuroo’s head to the floor knocked him unconscious. He stopped thrashing. His entire body went limp. Bokuto got shakily to his feet. He turned to the bed.

“Kenma? Kenma, talk to me – did he hurt you?” He struggled to unwind Kenma’s jacket from his hands. Completely dazed, Kenma said nothing, only let his eyes roll around the room as Bokuto found the zip-tie. “Fuck… I need a knife…” He bolted down the stairs.

The bed was so warm, and Kenma was so tired; he just wanted to close his eyes and float away. Shouyou, he thought absently, I was weak. He passed out. When Bokuto came back and cut him loose, he was dead to the world.

“Shit,” Bokuto whispered. “Kenma, please be ok…”


	18. Choke Cherry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It'll take a lot for this shock to wear off.

The ride was long and annoying. Bokuto took forever to call back, but Daichi was determined; he called everyone he could think of to talk to them about what was happening. Right now, he was on the phone with the coach. In the back seat, Sugawara was texting everyone’s parents to tell them where their kids were, and Kageyama struggled to console an unresponsive Hinata. He rubbed Shouyou’s back.

“It’ll be ok,” he said over and over. “Kenma will be ok.”

In the trunk, Asahi and Nishinoya were squashed together, peering over the seat solemnly. The whole car vibrated along the road as their sobering journey continued.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time the Karasuno team arrived at the hospital, they’d already been around town a dozen times looking for Kuroo’s apartment, so a lot of time has elapsed since the incident. Hinata had come alive as soon as he got out of the car. They had to run to keep up with him as he sprinted inside. Bokuto met them at the door and showed them to the elevator.

“Kuroo’s been arrested,” he told them. “I locked him in the basement until the paramedics arrived. Kenma is this way.”

“How is he?!” Shouyou demanded.

Bokuto looked uncomfortable. He sighed and pointed to Kenma’s door. Hinata was the first one inside. Kenma was propped up in bed with a bunch of pillows with his eyes closed and an IV in his arm, as if he were asleep. Shouyou was struck into silence. Kenma looked terrible. His eyes had dark purple bruises under them, and he was as pale as death. Green and purple bruises decorated his arms. The rest of him was covered by a white hospital blanket.

A nurse was checking his temperature with a forehead scanner. She paled when she saw how many of them there were. “Whoa whoa,” she warned. “Easy! Only approach him one at a time!”

Everyone stepped back to let Shouyou go first. He felt like a zombie as he made his way over to the side of the bed, reaching out to lean on the metal frame. “Kenma…?” He called softly.

Drowsily, Kenma’s eyes rolled open, struggling to focus on Hinata. It was obvious that he was struggling under a sedative. “Shouyou,” he smiled.

Shouyou realized that he wanted to cry but no tears would come. Maybe he’d run out of tears after this long week of emotional rollercoasters. “Are you ok?” He whispered.

“Yeah. Sit, Shouyou.” Kenma patted the bed, and Hinata struggled up onto it, scooting as close to Kenma’s warm thigh as he could. Kenma looked at all of them. “He didn’t rape me. Bokuto stopped him just in time.” All of them released a huge sigh of relief.

“Thank God,” Shouyou breathed, bending until his forehead it touched Kenma’s chest. “I was so worried, I thought he was going to hurt you!”

Slowly, as if he were afraid he wasn’t real, Kenma carded his fingers through Hinata’s hair. He took a deep, shuddering breath. Then he put his arm around Hinata’s shoulders. Shouyou gathered himself up into the bed, lying against Kenma as close as he could. Their faces rested together at the cheek with their noses touching and their eyes shut. The nurse had left, so the others crowded at the foot of his bed, hiding behind one another fearfully. Kenma blushed when he looked up again. It returned some color to his cheeks.

“All of you came?”

“Of course,” Daichi said warmly.

“It was all Daichi,” Kageyama said gruffly. “He told Bokuto what was going on. He got all of us together and brought us here.”

“I drove,” Tanaka’s sister added proudly.

“Thank you,” Kenma said quietly. “I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t known. Kuroo, he was… I was going to call the police when he was outside my house, but I didn’t. I tried to talk to him like it was going to change his mind. I knew…” He struggled with his words.

Daichi walked around the side of the bed and reached out, putting his hand on Kenma’s head. He gently riffled his hair. “It wasn’t your fault. Kuroo had crossed a line already, he wasn’t afraid to do what he set out to do. You just wanted to treat him like he was human.”

“What happened?” Sugawara questioned Bokuto.

“I broke a window of the house trying to get in,” Bokuto replied. “Kuroo was just about to do it when I got up the stairs, but I pulled him off and knocked him out. I locked him in the basement until the paramedics arrived.” They gaped at him. “What? I’m into weight lifting!” He struck a pose. “The third best spiker in Japan has to keep up his physique!”

Kenma nodded. “I passed out after that. They said I went into shock, but I don’t remember anything that happened after Bokuto got there. I just… woke up here.”

Hinata spread his hand over Kenma’s heart. His face had crumpled. He didn’t speak. A hush fell over everyone; they’d all felt fear for what had happened, but Hinata had completely shut down the whole way here. This had been too much for him to handle. The main thing was that Kenma was ok, and that Kuroo was somewhere far away. They each took turns wishing Kenma well before leaving the two of them alone; each person filed out the door, and the last one closed the door gently behind them.

Humming low in his throat, Kenma stroked Hinata’s hair, smiling into his cheek. “I’m ok, Shouyou,” he said softly. “Really. Just a nice bit of bruising.”

“He could’ve hurt you. I thought he had,” Shouyou whispered.

“I thought he was going to kill me,” Kenma admitted. “At first, anyway. He zip-tied my hands, stripped me down… but when I stopped struggling, he actually lost most of his aggression.” He blushed.

Hinata drew back a little. “W-What?”

“He… jacked me off. It gave Bokuto enough time to get inside.”

“You were…?”

“Yeah, I was hard. I don’t know why. It happened without me.”

“Did it feel…? I mean, I know you aren’t really into-”

“It felt really good, actually.”

“Oh. So…” Hinata blinked. “You got a free hand job and then Bokuto saved you?”

Giggling, Kenma nodded. “I was terrified! He was just about to put it in. But the look on his face when Bokuto grabbed him-!” The two of them burst out laughing. The tension in the room dissolved, and they clutched each other tightly, shaking with laughter. All the stress of the night seemed to just drop off their shoulders. Hinata felt tears of joy in his eyes and struggled to wipe them away with his sleeve. Kenma’s laugh made him laugh, which made Kenma laugh, and it cycled between them back and forth until their lungs ached. Hinata had never heard him laugh before.

As their guffaws died down, Kenma sighed wearily, leaning heavily into Hinata. “Shouyou, I’m tired. Will you stay here and sleep with me?” He reached over Hinata’s waist, and Shouyou threaded their fingers together, resting them on his hip.

“Can I? They might not let me.”

“I don’t want to be alone. What if… what if Kuroo comes back?” He whispered.

“He won’t! I swear he won’t, Kenma,” Shouyou insisted. “They booked him for kidnapping and attempted rape. There are a bunch of witnesses, and Bokuto will testify, and if he isn’t put away for a long time then I’ll personally be your bodyguard until I die.”

“Can you start tonight?”

Shouyou’s heart had an arrow shot through it. “Yes,” he replied. “Of course I can.”

 

* * *

 

 

They spoke to the nursing staff. It didn’t take much to get Shouyou a pass for the night; they just wanted to keep Kenma overnight, so they’d both be released in the morning. Shouyou turned down an offer of an adjoining cot. Kenma and Hinata squeezed onto one hospital bed together. In an hour, both of them were out like lights. The rush of the hospital couldn’t pierce their dreams.

The Karasuno team stayed in a motel across the street, all piled up together. Kenma’s parents had made it there before the team; they were at the same motel, two rooms down. Kageyama didn’t sleep. He sat in a comfy chair and stared out the window all night, thinking.

 

* * *

 

 

As the sun rose, Kenma and Shouyou woke at the same time, draped across each other lazily. No one bothered them this early. They moved closer together after a minute, just lying quietly in bed. Hinata fidgeted a little. He turned to Kenma as if to say something but instead he kissed him with sudden, fiery passion. Kenma melted. Their lips drew apart and then back together again and again, until they were both gasping for air. Kenma moaned softly against Hinata’s mouth.

“I’m so glad you’re ok, Kenma.” Shouyou took Kenma’s face in his hands as he brushed their lips together. “I won’t let something like this happen ever again.” A moment passed between them like a sensual lightning bolt, and he leaned in and kissed Kenma deeply.

Kenma tried to relax, but couldn’t. He kissed Hinata back for as long as he could. His heart monitor began to beep angrily. Then, he put his hands on Shouyou’s chest and gently pushed him away.

Hovering back, Hinata blushed. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Are you all right?”

“It’s ok. I just… I need some air.” Kenma was shaking.

Guilt stabbed Hinata in the chest. Why had he thought he’d be ok after what happened last night? He opted to hold Kenma’s hand for a minute as he caught his breath. “Should I…?”

“Shouyou,” Kenma interrupted. “I think… I think we should talk.”


	19. Cosmopolitan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All good things must come to an end.

Kenma’s mother brought him fresh clothes an hour later. He was still pretty weak, so Shouyou helped dress him while everyone waited; he tied on Kenma’s shoes, smoothed his shirt down, and zipped his jacket all the way up. They tried not to look at each other. But as Hinata dropped his hands, they both glanced up at the same time. There was hurt in both of their eyes.

“Are you sure?” Shouyou echoed sadly.

“Yes. I’m sorry, Hinata.” Kenma shook his head. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you guys have done for me, but… I need to focus on myself. I realized how little I actually understand about how I feel, about you, and about people.”

“I understand.” Shouyou tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. “If you ever need me, though, just call. I’ll get there on my bike if I have to. I’m still your bodyguard.”

Kenma touched his arm timidly. “Thanks, I know you will.” He took a deep breath. “Be with Kageyama.”

Bewildered, Hinata’s eyes widened. “Kageyama…? Kenma, I-”

“You’ll what?” Kenma saw Hinata hesitate. “You’ll wait for me?”

“I…”

“I’m not putting you on hold, Hinata. This is it.” Kenma put his hand over his own heart. “I need to figure myself out and I don’t know how long that’ll take.” They stood a foot apart, silent for a moment, in mutual despair. Breaking up wasn’t easy for either of them. After everything they’d just been through, it felt wrong, but… Clenching his hands into fists, Kenma looked over at Shouyou. “I don’t _want_ you to wait for me, Hinata. You’re an amazing person. You’re loving and considerate, and I know that’ll go much further if you direct it towards someone who knows how they feel - someone who knows themselves.” He looked away. “I saw the look on his face last night. Kageyama loves you passionately.”

Hinata stared at the floor.

“I want you to be happy,” Kenma said softly. Reaching out, he put a hand on his arm. “Look at me.”

Shouyou obeyed hesitantly. “I know you have to do this. Of course I know.”

“Then promise me you’ll do what makes you happy.”

“I… I just…” Rubbing his face, Shouyou sighed. “Ok. For you, I promise. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Not for me, for you,” Kenma pressed. “I wish I could be whole for you. But I’m not, Hinata.” His hand fell away. It was so thin and pale under the fluorescents. “Kageyama is. Let him in. You won’t regret it.”

“Kenma, thank you. I wish I could do more for you.”

“You’ve done enough.” Kenma cracked a smile. “Come on. I’ll still get to play you on the court, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Bring your everything that day for that match, and I’ll accept that you’ve moved on. Agreed?”

Hinata stared at him. Slowly, a smile spread across his face, and he nodded. “Agreed.”

“Besides, you’re my on-call bodyguard now.”

“ON CALL?!”

 

* * *

 

 

The drive home was rowdy. They argued about who was going to sit in the trunk, and in the end Sugawara and Daichi gave in and gave up their seats. They were pretty cramped, but somehow Sugawara managed to convince Daichi to let him sit between his legs so they could both have leg room, and after that things went pretty quiet. Nishinoya fell asleep alongside Hinata in the middle, and Asahi in the passenger’s seat fell into conversation with Tanaka’s sister. Tanaka himself had elected to stay behind through the whole fiasco because drama made him antsy.

Bokuto had already taken a bus back to his hometown after leaving the hospital last night. Without him, Kenma would have been raped, and Kuroo would be facing a much heavier sentence. A lot had happened in a month. Hinata stared at his hands in his lap. Alongside him, pressed close to his side in the small car, Kageyama was stoically staring out the window. Somehow, the two of them shared a wavelength of thought; Hinata felt melancholic, and Kageyama empathized with him, for the first time allowing his emotions out to care about somebody else.

Hinata hadn’t told anyone about Kenma and him breaking up, but they had all seen their stiff goodbye. Watching him drive off with his parents broke Shouyou’s heart. Kageyama himself had felt deep down that this was going to happen – not that he’d lost faith in either one of them, but he had thought about how trauma affects a relationship. Of course, trauma alters all sorts of relationships.

Turning from the window, Kageyama watched Hinata stare at his hands. It didn’t take long for Hinata to feel his heavy gaze. At first he didn’t look up. He was embarrassed to feel so broken and lonely, yet at the same time, he was still thinking about that night at Kageyama’s house when he’d lain in his bed. Kenma had told him to move on. Why was he so afraid? He looked up after a minute to see warmth in Tobio’s eyes. Color tinted his cheeks. Kenma was right. He had to move on, for himself. Kageyama had been very good with him during all this and he deserved a chance – even if it was at the tail end of a big break-up. He wasn’t a rebound - he deserved a chance.

Shouyou followed Tobio’s eyes as they traveled down to his thigh and Kageyama put his hand there, big and warm and solid. His hands were so much bigger than Kenma’s. Butterflies rose in Hinata’s throat. It was an amazing feeling, knowing that even though he’d been skipped over the first time by mutual fault, Kageyama understood it – and he also understood everything going on in Shouyou’s heart. Even when Shouyou barely had a clue himself.

Hinata leaned his forehead into Kageyama’s shoulder. It was warm, and surprisingly soft. The car around them bounced. Voices droned with chatter. Hinata shut his eyes and inhaled and remembered that night at Tobio’s house, and everything else seemed so very small, and so very far away. That’s how he slept the rest of the way back.

Kageyama rested his cheek in Hinata’s hair just like he had in the beginning; except this time, it was definitely on purpose.

 

* * *

 

 

In the back of the car, Sugawara stretched out luxuriously between Daichi’s legs. He was really glad no one else could see them. He felt cramped and awkward and yet… Turning his head a little, he caught Daichi’s attention. The captain had been diligently staring out the window and blushing like a madman. He’d never been this intimate with anybody, let alone his closest friend.

“Do you think,” Sugawara said very quietly. “That Yamaguchi and Tsuki…?”

“No more!” Daichi hissed. “No more drama! I can’t handle anymore! If they’re going to get together, let them deal with it – we got involved with Hinata and Kenma and everything went to hell in a hand basket! The only drama I can handle right now is my own.” Grinning shyly, Sugawara leaned back against him all the way, making Daichi back up as far as he could to keep their faces from touching. “S-Sugawara…?” Daichi stammered. His face was beet red.

Sugawara gave him puppy dog eyes and a winning smile. “I’ve got some drama for you, then.”


	20. Dragon's Blood Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

They managed to worm out of school and practice on Tuesday because of what had happened. Sensei talked to the principal and had coach back him up, and got everyone who went to see Kenma the night before off the hook. All of them went home and crashed into bed. The rest of the week, they practiced like crazy, finally a whole unit again for the first time since they’d gotten wrecked at training week. A lot of their techniques improved in those few days.

Kageyama and Hinata were on good terms. They often went home together just to walk and talk; sometimes to Tobio’s, and sometimes to Shouyou’s. For hours they’d avoid bus stops and crowded places along their route, picking up small snacks from venders to fend off the dinner munchies, and just enjoy each other’s company. When they finally got back it was always so late that they ended up spending a lot of nights sleeping – asleep - together. They’d crash right into the same bed like flight twenty-nine down.

Kageyama refused to admit it, but those nights he got the best rest of his life. That was probably because he death-gripped Hinata in his sleep.

Afterwards, they spent the whole weekend together to test the waters before making anything official. Because they’d already passed all the drama of personal realization and seen all the possible drawbacks and fought through all the deeper dilemmas that they had with their newfound sexuality, they came to the conclusion that they could actually make this work. In fact, it went so well that at the start of their second week, Hinata was ready.

They walked in to school holding hands. They wore the same deodorant, had used the same soap in Tobio’s shower, and were probably wearing each other’s clothes – although Kageyama would have never admitted that, either. The two of them even brought the same bento box to lunch, courtesy of Kageyama’s mother.

And no one said a word. Until practice, that is.

When Hinata and Kageyama walked into the club room holding hands, Nishinoya got stars in his eyes, Asahi burst into tears of joy, and Tanaka exploded. He wasn’t put off or anything – he was just mad no one had kept him in the loop, because obviously Daichi and Sugawara had first suspected this a whole month ago. But they confessed to not wanting to upset Hinata and Kenma’s short relationship – that is, after they managed to calm Tanaka down.

Tsuki, oddly, said nothing, even though Yamaguchi was beside him also throwing a fit. No one had even told them about Kenma and Hinata, let alone Kageyama and Hinata, and what the fuck do you mean Kenma was almost _raped?!_ Daichi got an earful from him for forgetting to contact either of them at all. He defended himself by saying that they wouldn’t have come, anyway, and Yamaguchi grudgingly admitted that he was right. They, too, hated drama.

But when Yamaguchi tried to talk to Tsuki about how surprised he was, Tsuki opened his mouth and said, ‘I mean one out of four guys is gay, why the hell are you surprised?’ Which made Yamaguchi say, ‘With that logic, besides Kageyama and Hinata, at least one more person has to be gay!’ And Tsuki looked into his face, turned a shade of red no one had ever seen before, and swiftly left for the gym. Sugawara screamed at the top of his lungs to Daichi something unintelligible but it was clear that Daichi understood all too well. He sheepishly handed over ten bucks.

“He’s not the only one,” Daichi admitted next, and then _Sugawara_ looked him in the face, turned a shade of red no one had ever seen before, and swiftly left for the gym.

Then the look of pure shock on Hinata’s face was so endearing that it forced Tobio to kiss him, and then _everyone_ looked into _his_ face, turned a shade of red no one had ever seen before, and swiftly left for the gym.

Practices ceased to be awkward about a week later when everyone was out in the open with how they felt – meaning that out of everyone else who eventually admitted to being secretly gay, Tsuki took an entire fucking week to begrudgingly be out in the open about it. To be fair, though, Kageyama _had_ thrown a similar tantrum. To no one’s surprise, Yamaguchi always seemed to have a hickie _somewhere_ on his body after Tsuki joined them in the winning-the-gay-lottery-ticket volleyball club.

 

* * *

 

 

Kageyama was lying on his back on his bed, dangling his head over the side and staring at the wall while Hinata diligently did his homework on the floor alongside him. It was late now. The night had receded slowly; it was only the length of the day and the shortening of the night that gave any indication that spring was well on its way. Outside it was still pretty cold, but inside, it was warm.

Shouyou was going to spend the night again. He’d brought a duffel bag full of stuff that he was going to start leaving here so that he didn’t have to prepare every time they had a sleepover; mostly, it was clothing, but there were some manga books, a game for the Gamecube, and even a pillow that Shouyou decorated his room with. It had been a month since they’d started dating. The spring preliminaries were in a few days, and they were ready, but Tobio felt a sense of contentment that ran deeper than just being prepared for another round against the power-house schools on the court.

He felt at peace with himself. This relationship had helped him grow so much as a person that he felt like he knew not only himself, but also Shouyou, like never before. He had lost a lot of his aggression after admitting how he felt aloud. Although he clung on to some of his furious tirades, he had stopped yelling at Shouyou almost completely, which had multiplied their productivity as a couple on and off the court by four hundred percent.

And even though memories of Kenma still got to him, Hinata had fallen perfectly into Tobio’s lap metaphorically and physically. Their lives fit so snugly together now that any remaining doubts or thoughts of regret had simply become obsolete. Life was a series of stepping stones in his opinion. Everything was connected, and everything was as it was meant to be - and both of them knew it.

            Tobio pursed his lips. “Shouyou.”

            “Hm?” Scritch scratch. Hinata’s pen dragged across the paper as he crossed out a wrong answer.

            “Hurry up and finish your homework.”

            “Gimmie a minute! Math isn’t easy for me!”

            Scritch scratch.

… Scritch scratch.

“… Shouyou.”

“I said _gimmie_ me a minute!”

Hinata yelped as Kageyama swung onto his stomach and wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight hug, pressing their cheeks together. “I can’t wait,” Tobio grumbled. “I’ve been waiting too long.”

“Fine, fine – I’ll do the rest in the morning. Now would you let go so I can breathe?” Kageyama let him go. He sat up, and as Hinata climbed up into bed with him, they tangled their bodies together and rested their faces together. “Better?” Shouyou asked. Tobio tilted his head and kissed him tenderly on the lips, surprising him. When Shouyou pulled back to give him a look, his deep, dark blue eyes were aglow, and Shouyou felt a rush of adrenaline that turned his cheeks pink.

Tobio smiled. “Better.”

 

* * *

 

 

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I started out saying this was a drabble and I DEFINITELY lied. This 'drabble' coincided with my spring break from college and it turned into a HUGE project in a very short period of time, so thank you if you stuck through it with me this whole time! (I never finish anything I write, especially this quickly, so you just single-handedly witnessed a miracle.) 
> 
> If you're just now finding this, thank you, too! This was such a huge stress releiver for me that I actually put myself back to a normal sleep schedule. (I should do this more often!)
> 
> Honestly, all this began with that scene between Kenma and Hinata talking about the dating stuff, but it was based off a dream I had that turned into a porno so there's that. 
> 
> Thank you again.  
>  I'm sorry for the mistakes, the drama, the choppy style, and I am ESPECIALLY sorry to those of you who were: rooting for the different ships, upset because you normally ship different ships, are disgusted by my choice of ships, or hate some of my different ships that I portrayed in this fic, BUT IF YA FUKIN MADE IT HERE, that's a huge compliment to me, so thank you. (Yes, I was also shipping Bokuto and Kuroo, but since I made Kuroo so fucking ooc, that obvs took a nose-dive.)
> 
> I couldn't have been as inspired to write as I was without your girlish screams of joy and rage filling my comment boxes. Without you, this may be dusting away in my computer, instead of being a huge accomplishment for me. Remember that, please. 
> 
> Bless every single one of you. (Even though we're all fucked and going to hell together in this giant gay anime ship full of gay anime ships.)
> 
> And now, I need a nap.


End file.
